Alphabet's self-driving company Waymo said on Thursday it has suspended its driverless taxi service on U.S. highways and suspended operations in Atlanta, Georgia, as it updates software to improve performance around construction zones and flooded roads.
The pause comes as Waymo accelerates its expansion in the U.S. after years of steadily growing its self-driving taxi business, while other companies including Tesla Inc.
"We have temporarily suspended highway operations as we work to incorporate recent technology learnings into our software and expect to resume operations on these routes soon," a Waymo spokesperson said in an email.
Waymo's highway ride service has been launched in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami.
The company said it was evaluating and improving operational performance near certain types of construction areas, adding that street operations were not affected.
The company said it has suspended its service with Uber in Atlanta after a self-driving Waymo self-driving taxi broke down in flooding on Wednesday.
Previously, Waymo recalled about 3,800 driverless taxis in the United States earlier this month because the company found that these vehicles may drive at higher speeds into flooded roads with higher speed limits, causing safety hazards.