California regulators approve expansion of robotaxi services in San Francisco

Califorina : Apna Punjab Media : California regulators on Thursday approved an expansion of citywide robotaxi service in San Francisco, despite reservations from city officials and residents after incidents in which unmanned vehicles have blocked traffic, including the path of emergency vehicles. The state’s Public Utilities Commission voted to approve rival services from Cruise and Waymo to operate around-the-clock service. It will make San Francisco first major U.S. city with two fleets of driverless vehicles competing for passengers against ride-hailing and taxi services dependent on humans to operate the cars. It’s a distinction San Francisco officials didn’t want, largely because of the headaches that Cruise and Waymo have been causing in the city while testing their robotaxis on a restricted basis during the past year. “This is an incremental approval. It builds on existing approvals, and it’s not the last action the CPUC or the DMV will be taking in regulating these vehicles,” said Alice Reynolds, a CA Public Utilities Commissioner.