The Washington Post reports:
Google's self-driving car company Waymo is expanding its 24/7 robotaxi service to other parts of California, but it's facing resistance from some. This includes a series of incidents that have raised public servants' concerns about the safety of vehicles coming into the city. For example, over an eight-day period in February, Waymo vehicles crashed into closing gates as they left the University of Southern California campus. The next day, another vehicle collided with the cyclist in San Francisco. Later that week, a crowd vandalized cars and set one on fire. A few days later, the company announced a voluntary recall of the software following a pickup truck accident in Phoenix. [Though it occurred three months ago, the Post reports that after the initial contact between the vehicles, “A second Waymo vehicle made contact with the pickup truck a few minutes later.”]
The incident, which did not result in any serious injuries, comes after Waymo's main competitor, General Motors' Cruise Company, recalled its self-driving cars last year… [Waymo] The company is currently the only company looking to expand its 24/7 robotaxi service around California, despite fierce resistance from local officials. “Waymo has become the standard-bearer for the entire robotaxis industry, for better or for worse,” said David Zipper, a senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative. The Waymo incident is “a far cry from Cruz's actions, but there is now a crisis of trust in self-driving car companies when it comes to safety.”
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has postponed a decision on whether Waymo can expand its service to some of California's major highways, as well as Los Angeles and San Mateo counties, according to the regulator's website. However, the matter is pending “further review by staff.” Waymo said the postponement was part of the commission's “standard and robust review process,” but it's important to note that self-driving cars have disrupted emergency scenes, blocked traffic and frustrated residents in San Francisco. The postponement comes as authorities in other regions are concerned about the situation. Zipper said this was a notable disparity as they learned to share public roads with robot cars, adding: “Each company is arguing that this technology should be a godsend to city life. “But it's quite surprising that these urban leaders are actually putting it into practice.” I don’t want it,” he said.
According to the article, Waymo offers ride-hailing services in San Francisco and Phoenix, as well as some free rides in Los Angeles. It also cited Waymo's December report, which said, “Over 7.1 million miles of testing, there were 17 fewer injuries compared to a human driver with a benchmark accident rate driving the same distance in our region. He estimated that there were fewer people and 20 fewer crashes were reported by police. Please operate. ”