San Francisco descended into chaos as a significant power outage left Waymo’s self-driving taxis stranded on city streets, causing traffic disruptions.

The Bay Area plunged into darkness on Saturday night, affecting around 130,000 customers of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which accounts for roughly 30 percent of the city’s population.

Though power was restored to 95,000 customers later that evening, many residents resorted to candlelit dinners, while others conserved their electronic devices’ battery life to navigate through the powerless night.

The blackout also wreaked havoc on public transportation, leading to extensive delays at Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations across San Francisco.

As of Sunday morning, approximately 35,000 residents remain in the dark, waiting for electricity to be fully restored.

And as if dealing with pitch darkness wasn’t enough, Waymos, the futuristic driverless taxis that were welcomed to the city last year, stopped in the middle of the streets. 

The cars appeared to be frazzled by traffic lights malfunctioning amid the blackout, so a lot of the vehicles came to a complete stop, leaving those driving other cars to be hit with mayhem. 

At least one person was reportedly left stranded inside a Waymo car during the outage, SF Gate reported. 

Driverless Waymo cars caused a high traffic jam overnight after a blackout swept over San Francisco, California 

Residents posted images to social media showing how they had to adjust to the darkness as they went about their night 

A Waymo robotaxi is seen stuck in the middle of a busy intersection as other vehicles stop behind it and drivers try to make sense of the chaos 

Waymo suspended service at 8pm Saturday after getting reports that the driverless cars were causing dangerous traffic jams. 

‘We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco,’ Waymo spokesperson Suzanne Philion told the outlet. 

‘We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need to do their work.’ 

Meanwhile, pedestrians took to social media to show the disorder in the Bay Area. 

Several Waymo cars were seen stopped at traffic lights, while others were parked in the middle of busy intersections.

‘In case anyone was wondering how the Waymos would respond in the event of a power outage, the answer is “not well”,’ a user posted to X alongside a video of halted Waymo vehicles while other cars maneuvered around them as best as they could. 

‘Human drivers handled it like a 4 way stop. Waymo rolled over and played dead,’ another said. 

While people out on the street struggled to go about their lives, others at home were faced with challenges of their own. 

As of Sunday morning, 35,000 San Franciscans are still without electricity

Another person set their open MacBook laptop on top of their toilet so they could have a little light while they took a shower

One couple posted a picture to Facebook showing them having dinner with multiple candles illuminating the room. 

‘Dinner by candlelight (due to a massive power outage in SF!),’ the man wrote. 

Another person set their open MacBook laptop on top of their toilet so they could have a little light while they took a shower. 

‘Desperate time (taking a shower during sf blackout) call for desperate measures (burning my laptop’s battery for illumination),’ the X user wrote. 

The height of the blackout impacted several neighborhoods across the Bay Area, including Richmond, Hayes Valley, Sunset, Haight Ashbury, Forest Hill, all of Golden Gate Park, parts of downtown, South of Market, and Presidio. 

Power outages were reported by residents as early as 9.40am local time in some parts of San Francisco. 

The issue is believed to have originated from a PG&E substation at 8th and Mission Streets, Supervisor Matt Dorsey said on social media. 

A local shared a picture of a room in their home being lit up by several candlesticks and a lantern during the peak of the outage 

People are seen crossing a dark intersection in the Bay Area Saturday night 

People are seen looking at the skyline of the city, including the famous San Francisco Bridge, during the power outage 

Then, around 3.15pm, the San Francisco Fire Department responded to a fire at the location. 

Dorsey said the exact same substation, or electrical grid control center, was responsible for a blackout on December 21, 2003. 

That emergency affected around 120,000 customers. 

The company does not know for sure what caused the blackout, and continues to investigate, according to PG&E spokesperson Edgar Hoida.