California approves driverless taxi expansion in San Francisco

Waymo and Cruise can now charge for ride-hailing services throughout San Francisco despite objections that driverless cars interfere with traffic and first respondersA Waymo self-driving car in San Francisco Shutterstock/Iv-olgaDriverless cars have the green light to operate as paid ride-hailing services in San Francisco after the companies Waymo and Cruise won approval from California state regulators. The roll-out of driverless cars in San Francisco has had a bumpy start. Waymo and Cruise can now expand their commercial services to charge passengers for round-the-clock driverless robotaxis in San Francisco – although the companies have suggested that they would not immediately add swarms of additional driverless cars. “What we have seen is that things are not getting better,” said Julia Friedlander, head of automated driving policy at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, during the 7 August meeting. An analysis of California’s road traffic accident data suggests driverless vehicles are having four to eight times more minor accidents than human drivers, says Cummings.