Paid self-driving car services are coming to Los Angeles today after California regulators decided to allow Alphabet subsidiary Waymo to operate in the city. Under the new ruling, Waymo is also allowed to operate in much of the San Francisco Peninsula.
The decision by the California Public Utilities Commission is likely to be controversial. This follows protests from local governments and agencies, including the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, the San Francisco County Department of Transportation, the City of South San Francisco, and the County of San Mateo. All argued that local governments and the public should have more input and oversight into the expansion of self-driving taxi services.
However, California law allows state regulators, not local governments, to make decisions about where and how self-driving cars can travel within the state, and the CPUC acknowledges this fact in today's decision. Quoted.
Waymo spokeswoman Julia Irina said in a written statement that the company is “taking a measured and gradual approach to expansion as we continue to work closely with city officials, communities, and partners.” She noted that the CPUC received 81 letters from individuals and organizations supporting Waymo's expansion, including groups representing people with disabilities and business interests.
Irina said the company intends to take a “phased approach” to introducing the service in Los Angeles and has “no immediate plans” to expand commercial service to the San Francisco Peninsula.
The decision poses what may be Waymo's biggest challenge yet. The service in the second-largest city by population has come under scrutiny from government officials who have been skeptical of the company's technology since the beginning. Last fall, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sent a letter to California regulators arguing that the city has the technical know-how and ability to decide where and how self-driving cars should operate within limits. . Citing the early troubles of robo-taxi companies operating on San Francisco's streets, she said city officials were in the best position to “maximize the benefits of new transportation technologies and reduce harm across diverse communities.” He claimed to be in a position.
California lawmakers are considering several bills that would give local lawmakers more oversight of self-driving car technology.
Waymo currently operates paid taxi services in the metropolitan areas of San Francisco and Phoenix, Arizona. The company has been running a pilot service in parts of Los Angeles since the fall. Waymo has announced its intention to launch the service in Austin, Texas.
The company's original LA service area covers a wide swath of the city, from Pacific Palisades in the west, Hollywood in the north, East Los Angeles in the east, and Gardena and Compton in the south. In the San Francisco Bay Area, robotaxis will be available between San Francisco and Sunnyvale, which is bounded by Interstate 280 on the west side.
Self-driving car developers have had a rough few months. After Waymo and General Motors subsidiary Cruise received permission to begin collecting passenger fares in San Francisco last summer, the companies were involved in a high-profile crash. In one accident, a cruise car failed to yield at an intersection and collided with a fire truck. Two months later, Cruise Corp. had its license to operate in California revoked after public officials claimed the company was not releasing details of a crash that seriously injured a pedestrian. Cruise has since halted testing across the U.S., fired nearly a quarter of its employees and replaced nearly all of its key executives. Another company, Motional, said this week it would lay off 5% of its workforce after a major backer announced it would cut funding.
But the future of self-driving technology looks bright, at least in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, with Waymo potentially starting traditional self-driving passenger service in the expanded area “starting today,” the CPUC wrote. .
Updated: March 11, 2024, 7:38 PM EST: This story has been updated with further comment from Waymo.