California regulators gave Waymo and Cruise the OK last week to scale up their robotaxi services in San Francisco, but now it seems the city itself won’t have it.
On Wednesday, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions with the California Public Utilities Commission to pause the firms’ plans to offer and charge for robotaxi rides in the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the news.
The city’s arguments mirror many of the points brought to the CPUC by concerned residents and city agencies, who argued that Waymo’s and Cruise’s robotaxis were too obstructive and unsafe to share roads with cyclists, human drivers and emergency responders. In the days since the CPUC’s green light, at least 10 driverless cars have reportedly stalled and blocked traffic, and one even drove right into wet concrete.
The story is developing — refresh for updates.
