The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday, despite strong opposition from the local community and city agencies, allowed Alphabet’s and General Motors’ robotaxis to operate in San Francisco at any time of day.
Following the decision, Waymo and Cruise are permitted to transport passengers throughout the city both day and night and can charge for this service.
Waymo will be allowed to drive at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour even in poor weather, while Cruise will be limited to 60 kilometers per hour and will not be allowed to operate when weather conditions do not permit.
The commission listened for six hours to comments from local residents and special interest groups that support or oppose the decision.
The transportation and safety agency claims that robotic cars can interfere with firefighters, cause traffic congestion, and violate other traffic rules, and that the companies have not fully disclosed data indicating these problems. Therefore, the agency has requested a more cautious introduction of robotaxis.
Cruise and Waymo, on the other hand, argue that their robotaxis are safer than human drivers and that they have not caused any deaths or life-threatening injuries during millions of total miles driven.
Alphabet and General Motors now have permission to launch a paid taxi service throughout the city at any time of day and have stated that they plan to introduce more vehicles as a result. Together, they have more than 500 autonomous vehicles already on the roads of San Francisco.
Cruise and Waymo have not indicated when they might establish a 24-hour taxi service, but they have promised to do so soon.
