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24/7 Operation Approval for Robotaxis in San Francisco
Robotaxis will be free to lumber about autonomously across the streets of San Francisco all day, every day. It’s a major win for the taxi operators, but a significant setback for anti-car activists, city officials, and competing rideshare companies.
On Thursday, Waymo and Cruise were granted all-hours operating authority for driverless vehicles in the city by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Both ridesharing companies are now allowed to charge fares 24/7 for passengers ordering automated cars in their fleets.
Previously, Cruise had only been approved to operate in San Francisco between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. without a safety driver present, while Waymo could offer fared passenger service at any time, though only with a safety driver present. Now, both Waymo and Cruise “may offer passenger service in its autonomous vehicles without a safety driver present throughout the city of San Francisco, at all hours of day or night” and can collect fares for these rides.
Concerns Over the Expansion of Driverless Car Services
Waymo and Cruise’s quest to launch their 24/7 driverless car services has indeed not been met with enthusiasm by all San Franciscans, with concerns rising over public pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, and even first responder interference. In July, anti-car activist group Safe Street Rebel led innovative protests against the driverless vehicles, specifically disabling Waymo and Cruise’s cars by placing traffic cones on their hoods — it was dubbed the “Week of Cone”.
“We’re just generally trying to push back on tech really taking over our cities,” a member of the group told Motherboard in July. “We view these not as some revolutionary new mode of transportation or anything, but really just another way for auto companies…to further entrench car dominance and car reliance in our cities.”
