Waymo pulling cars from San Francisco streets fearing election unrest
The company paused driving operations on Tuesday and Wednesday
Waymo, Google's self-driving car spinoff, temporarily pulled its fleet from San Francisco streets due to fears of unrest stemming from the outcome of the presidential election.
The company paused its driving operations on Tuesday and Wednesday as a precautionary measure, a Waymo spokesperson confirmed to FOX Business.
BUSINESSES ACROSS NATION BOARD UP WINDOWS AHEAD OF POTENTIAL ELECTION DAY UNREST
"Out of an abundance of caution and with the safety of our team in mind, we are temporarily suspending driving operations in San Francisco," the spokesperson said.
Google Waymo autonomous vehicles on Aug. 31, 2017. Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
In the meantime, the fleet will be parked at a secure location in Mountain View, roughly 40 miles from the city.
The move from Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., comes as the nation struggles to respond to the worst health crisis in more than a century, with millions of lost jobs, and reckoning on racial injustice.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOOGL | ALPHABET INC. | 169.12 | +1.47 | +0.88% |
As a result, cities have been bracing for what could be a rash of protests and riots following the results of the election.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
To prepare, businesses have been boarding up their storefront windows and taking other security measures.
Police forces around the nation have also signaled that they will be upping patrols leading up to and after the election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.