Police officers and first responders have had to take manual control of Waymo autonomous vehicles and drive them during emergency situations, including at least two active crime scenes, according to TechCrunch reporting from March 2026. Waymo, which now operates approximately 2,500 robotaxis in the United States, uses its own Event Response Teams and has contracted with specific towing providers to handle disabled vehicles.
Operator takeaway
Autonomous vehicle companies are building closed-ecosystem towing and recovery relationships — if you are not on their approved vendor list, that call volume goes to someone who is.