A California commission voted on Thursday to allow two self-driving car companies to begin commercially operating their vehicles in San Francisco around the clock. The vote makes San Francisco one of the first cities in the nation with commercial driverless networks operating at all times.
The controversial vote drew more than 200 public commenters and went over seven hours.
Google-owned Waymo and General Motors-owned Cruise have already been operating a small fleet of vehicles without drivers during off-peak hours in the city, and both companies were seeking to expand the service.
“We can’t wait for more San Franciscans to experience the mobility, safety, sustainability and accessibility benefits of full autonomy for themselves – all at the touch of a button,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo in a statement following the vote.
Prashanthi Raman, vice-president of global government affairs at Cruise said in a statement that “24/7 driverless ride hail service across San Francisco is a historic industry milestone” and allows the company to be competitive against an “inaccessible transportation status quo”.
The much anticipated vote was initially scheduled for 29 June, but was postponed by the California public utilities commission (CPUC) twice after San Francisco officials voiced their concerns about the deployment of the driverless vehicles. Among those warning against the expansion was the San Francisco fire department chief, who said that the cars were “not ready for prime time”.
Disability advocates, including the Blinded Veterans Association, the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California and the Curry Senior Center, signed an open letter calling on the CPUC to approve the expansion of the two services.
“They increase access to transportation for members of the communities we represent. Far too many people still find it far too hard to get where they need to go safely,” the letter read.
During the public comment session on Thursday, several people representing blind communities said they’ve had difficulty hailing Uber and Lyft vehicles because drivers will deny passengers and refuse to ferry a service dog. They say this would not happen with autonomous vehicles.
However, several people from the disability community came out against the resolution saying the companies have yet to make their vehicles accessible and do not pick up or drop off passengers at the curb which can make it difficult for blind passengers or others with disabilities. One wheelchair user who urged the commission to vote not to expand the service pointed out that the CPUC has yet to come to an agreement on accessibility standards for self-driving cars.
“We don’t have vehicles on the road or even in pilot programs that serve our community. How do folks like myself who are full-time wheelchair users enter, use and exit these vehicles safely,” Ian Smith said. “We should not let it pass just because the companies in question argue it will some day be good for the disability community. It’s not here yet.”
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Many others urged the commission not to expand the service until the technology was more developed and there are more regulations, including specific accessibility requirements.
CPUC commissioner Genevieve Shiroma advocated for a later vote until the companies provided additional information addressing concerns San Francisco officials have posed regarding the vehicles’ history. She also asked for more information such as how many vehicles Waymo and Cruise planned to roll out if the resolutions were approved.
Waymo and Cruise tested their vehicles in San Francisco for several years before rolling out a small fleet of cars without drivers in 2020. The companies are currently only allowed to operate between 10pm and 6am, at a maximum speed of 30mph. The companies will now be permitted to operate their commercial driverless services around San Francisco and part of San Mateo county at all hours. Waymo will also be allowed to drive up to 60mph.
San Francisco officials have repeatedly complained about the vehicles. The city’s fire chief said the driverless cars have interfered with emergency situations 40 times and there have been almost 70 self-driving vehicle collisions in 2023, according to the California department of motor vehicles. Privacy experts are also concerned, noting that law enforcement agencies have already requested camera footage captured by driverless car vehicles as part of investigations.
Though not everyone believes the technology is ready yet, the expansion of the self-driving services is unprecedented.
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