Regulators to decide on around-the-clock robotaxi service in San Francisco

A California commission will vote on Thursday on whether to allow two self-driving car companies to begin commercially operating their vehicles in San Francisco around the clock.

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 are seeking to expand the service.

If the commissioners vote to approve the resolution, San Francisco will be the first city in the nation with commercial driverless networks operating at all times.

“Every single day of delay in deploying this lifesaving autonomous driving technology has critical impacts on road safety,” Waymo previously said in a statement.

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.

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. If the CPUC votes to approve the resolution, the companies will be permitted to operate their commercial driverless services around San Francisco at all hours.

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 would be unprecedented.