Waymo can now provide driverless rides in San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) gave the green light(Opens in a new window) to the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company, on Friday. It means passengers can ride in test runs without a driver in the vehicle.
Waymo is however not allowed to charge passengers for any test rides yet. The company is now part of CPUC’s Driverless Pilot program, which is intended to allow autonomous vehicle (AV) companies to build their technologies on a test basis, while still providing for public safety and consumer protection. Waymo has already been operating(Opens in a new window) driverless taxi rides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Speaking on the decision CPUC Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma said: “We are seeing momentum build in this space and are working to assure the safe expansion of the driverless pilot program.”
The authorization means Waymo can offer driverless passenger services across the city of San Francisco and “portions” of Daly City. The move also grants the company legitimacy to run in sections of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale. CPUC has said the driverless cars can operate on public roadways with posted speed limits of up to 65 mph, 24 hours a day.
The move comes amid a noticeable expansion for AVs across the state. In 2020, AV maker Cruise got the green light to test its driver-free cars in San Francisco and was able(Opens in a new window) to start charging for these robo-taxi services in June. Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt tweeted Wednesday(Opens in a new window) that the company was expanding its service from nighttime to daytime hours. Meanwhile Lyft and AV firm Motional this week teamed up to announce the planned launch of a driverless hail service in Los Angeles.
Waymo is already permitted to charge passengers in test AVs with a safety driver present. In March(Opens in a new window), CPUC gave the company the right to operate these fared services in San Franciso and portions of Daly City.
Meanwhile, passengers can journey in test rides for free within portions of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, and sections of Inglewood, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica – as long as a safety driver accompanies them.
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