- Waymo can now operate its Waymo One service in Los Angeles.
- The self-driving car company faced opposition from city and county officials.
- The approval comes amid controversy and mistrust toward self-driving ride-sharing companies.
Would You like a feature Interview?
All Interviews are 100% FREE of Charge
Waymo is currently approved to operate driverless vehicles in Los Angeles and other parts of the Bay Area.
of California Public Utilities Commission It approved an expansion proposal by the Alphabet-owned transportation company despite protests from major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as San Mateo County.
Waymo spokesperson Julia Irina told Business Insider: “We are grateful to the CPUC for this vote of confidence in our business, which will pave the way for us to expand our commercial Waymo One service to Los Angeles and the San Francisco Peninsula. Waymo spokesperson Julia Irina told Business Insider in a statement. .
Waymo began testing a self-driving program in Los Angeles last year and petitioned the state for approval of a passenger safety plan in January.
Along the way, the company encountered pushback from city and county officials. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed concern about Waymo vehicles blocking roads while emergency vehicles were trying to pass, saying this has happened several times in the past. San Francisco.
Waymo spokeswoman Irina emphasized that despite the authorities’ opposition, the company also received 81 letters of support, many of them from anti-drunk-driving groups, anti-street racing groups, people with disabilities groups, They came from advocacy groups such as cycling and pedestrian groups.
Waymo said data shows its vehicles are less likely to be involved in personal injury accidents than human vehicles.
Irina said Waymo will take a “cautious and gradual approach” in expanding its robo-taxi service and work with “city governments, communities, and partners.” Irina did not elaborate on the timeline for the expansion, but she said the public has taken more than 15,000 rides in Los Angeles.
Other driverless ride-sharing companies like Waymo and Cruise have faced controversy, especially in San Francisco, where these startups are based.
Waymo vehicles have been filmed blocking access to roads and obstructing public transportation and emergency vehicles. There have also been some accidents involving Waymo vehicles. hurt someone.
San Francisco transportation officials have long called for a delay in the introduction of Cruise’s self-driving taxis, citing insufficient test data and a lack of logs to track crashes and other incidents.
Tilly Chan, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), previously told Business Insider that it was “premature” to allow Cruise to operate driverless taxis 24/7.
Just days after the company received a 24/7 operating permit from the California Public Utilities Commission, Cruise had its permit revoked by the DMV last year for the following reasons: One incident occurred when a woman was dragged 20 feet under a vehicle. The DMV said the company is not disclosing the video footage. Vice reported.
Distrust of these vehicles may have reached a point where communities burned Waymo vehicles during Chinese New Year celebrations in February in San Francisco, the video reported. incident program.
A motive for the incident has not been revealed, but one onlooker in the crowd could be heard yelling, “Fucking fire!”