Autonomous Vehicle News
California regulators gave robotaxi operators Waymo and Cruise the green light to drive on the streets of San Francisco during all times of the day, despite safety concerns raised by local officials and community members. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted 3-1 yesterday (Aug. 10) to grant driverless deployment permits to the ride-hailing companies. No limit has been placed on the size of Cruise and Waymo’s fleets, which will now be able to directly compete with human-driven taxis and ride-hailing services operating in the city. Cruise was previously authorized to operate fared, driverless services only in certain areas of San Francisco from 10pm to 6am, while Waymo was permitted to operate non-fared, driverless services at any time across San Francisco. Advertisement AdvertisementWhat San Franciscans have said about expanding driverless ride-hailing servicesDuring the seven-hour-long hearing on Thursday (Aug. 10), residents of San Francisco presented arguments for and against greater use of robotaxis in the city.