Autonomous Vehicle News
A Waymo driverless taxi stops on a street in San Francisco on Feb. 15. California regulators voted Thursday to allow two autonomous vehicle companies to operate driverless taxis 24 hours a day. "Today's permit marks the true beginning of our commercial operations in San Francisco," said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, in a blog post on the company's website. Reports have included vehicles blocking pathways for emergency vehicles, rolling over fire hoses and infringing in areas of active first responder incidents. San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson spoke at the separate public hearing on Monday, citing 55 written reports detailing incidents in which robotaxis interfered with the work of firefighters.