California authorities took a big step forward in expanding driverless taxi services in San Francisco, giving the green light to operators Waymo (Google) and Cruise (General Motors) to provide this innovative service to the population, this Thursday.
Waymo driverless taxis can reach 105 kilometres per hour, even in adverse weather conditions. The Cruise taxis, on the other hand, barely exceed 50 km/hour and are not authorised to drive in adverse weather conditions, such as fog.
Driverless cars were first introduced in San Francisco in 2014, with a mandatory human “safety driver” on board. Four years later, California removed the requirement for a human driver on board the vehicle. But they had never been used as public transport.
However, there have been instances where these vehicles have been inoperable, such as cars getting stuck in the middle of busy roads and others disrupting bus lanes or preventing police and fire trucks from passing.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) heard six hours of public comment before voting three to one to allow Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet, and Cruise, owned by General Motors, to essentially operate 24-hour driverless taxi services in San Francisco.
Waymo driverless taxis can reach 105 kilometres per hour, even in adverse weather conditions. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/AFP)
“Today is the first of many steps to bring AV (autonomous vehicle) transportation services to Californians and establish a successful and transparent model for other states to follow,” said CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds, who voted in favour of approval.
At the commission meeting where this historic measure was decided, several voices were raised against it, citing issues related to lack of safety.
Others opposed cars of any kind, saying the future lies in clean, convenient and affordable public transport. “The future of cities is not cars of any kind,” said one speaker.
However, others argued that the new driverless taxis will help to reduce air emissions and even reduce urban crime. Others praised the independence that can be afforded to disabled citizens, making the roads safer and helping to eliminate discrimination.
