Autonomous Vehicle News
Previously, Waymo was only allowed to operate without a safety driver present in specific areas of the city from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. but was allowed anywhere at any time with a safety driver present. Cruise was similarly permitted to operate a paying passenger service everywhere as long as someone was behind the wheel, even if they weren’t actually holding it. However, that was with a safety driver present, or Autonomous Specialist as they prefer to be called. This ruling will make San Francisco the first major U.S. city with two fleets of driverless vehicles competing for passengers against ride-hailing and taxi services dependent on humans to operate the cars. Others vented their frustration about San Francisco being transformed into a “tech playground” and the equivalent of an “ant farm” for haphazard experimentation.