San Francisco has become one of the initial cities in the United States where a commercial driverless network operates 24/7. On Thursday, a commission in California voted to permit Google-owned Waymo and General Motors-owned Cruise to utilize self-driving vehicles in the city.
The lengthy and controversial vote, spanning seven hours, included approximately 200 public commenters. The two companies were already running a small fleet of autonomous vehicles during off-peak hours in the city.
Following the vote, Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, stated, “We’re excited for more San Franciscans to experience the mobility, safety, sustainability, and accessibility benefits of full autonomy at their fingertips.”
Cruise’s vice president of global government affairs referred to the decision as a “historic industry milestone,” enabling the company to challenge an inaccessible transportation status quo.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) postponed the highly-anticipated vote, initially scheduled for June 29, twice due to concerns raised by San Francisco officials about driverless vehicles. The city’s fire department chief expressed that the cars were “not ready for prime time.”
While some disability advocates supported the resolution, others opposed it. Various organizations, including the Blinded Veterans Association, the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California, and the Curry Senior Center, issued an open letter to the CPUC supporting the expansion of these services.
Representatives of the blind community stated that autonomous vehicles would aid their travel, as they cannot refuse passengers or deny service dogs. However, critics argue that self-driving cars are not fully accessible as they don’t pick up or drop passengers at the curb, causing difficulties for blind passengers and individuals with disabilities.
CPUC Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma advocated for a delayed vote until Waymo and Cruise provided further details regarding the concerns raised by San Francisco officials about the vehicles’ track record. She also requested more data on the number of cars the companies intend to deploy if the resolutions are approved.
Both Waymo and Cruise have tested their vehicles in San Francisco, releasing a small fleet of self-driving cars in 2020. Initially, they operated from 10 AM to 6 PM, with a maximum speed of 30 mph. However, these self-driving cars will now operate round the clock in San Francisco at 60 mph.
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