Congress targets robotaxis after clashes with emergency responders If you’ve seen videos of driverless cars blocking fire trucks or rolling into active crime scenes and wondered who’s in charge, you’re not alone. A California congressman wants to force the federal government to set minimum safety rules for robotaxi companies, and the proposal is drawing support from city officials and fire departments already fed up with the status quo. Rep. Kevin Mullin, a Democrat from California, unveiled the AV Emergency Response Coordination Act at a press conference Tuesday in San Francisco, where hundreds of Waymo robotaxis already carry paying passengers. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Fire Chief Dean Crispen joined him. “We have seen disturbing, and frankly, an unacceptable number of incidents where autonomous vehicles inadvertently interfere with emergency responders,” Mullin said. Robotaxis blocking fire stations and ambulance bays The bill follows a pattern of autonomous vehicles getting in the way of first responders. Robotaxis have blocked ambulances and fire trucks, driven into active crime scenes and failed to recognize basic safety signals like traffic cones and flares. Fire Chief Crispen said robotaxis are picking up and dropping off passengers directly in front of fire stations and ambulance deployment facilities, obstructing emergency access. A TechCrunch investigation earlier this year found multiple incidents in which Waymo relied on first responders to manually drive its vehicles when they encountered problems. The July 4 traffic jam in San Francisco put the issue in sharper focus. Waymo robotaxis that had run out of power blocked key streets for hours. Mayor Lurie has since pressed state regulators for new rules, pointing also to a December power outage that stranded dozens of Waymo vehicles. What the bill would require Mullin’s legislation would require autonomous vehicle companies to provide clear emergency protocols for first responders and establish