On Thursday, the regulators in California made an interesting decision as they approved 24/7 robotaxi service in San Francisco for two rival companies, Waymo and Cruise. However, by Friday night, there seemed to be a hiccup in this new service as a group of Cruise vehicles caused a traffic backup in the North Beach neighborhood, flashing hazard lights.
This expansion of services was approved through a 3 to 1 vote by California’s Public Utilities Commission, solidifying San Francisco as the first major city in the United States to allow two robotaxi companies to compete, unrestricted by time. Both Waymo, owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, and Cruise, owned by General Motors, can now freely expand their fleets and charge fares at any time of the day.
However, on Friday night around 11 p.m., pedestrians reported that as many as 10 of Cruise’s driverless cars were stationary on and around Vallejo Street in North Beach, causing a traffic standstill for at least 15 minutes. According to reports, Cruise blamed the disruption on cell phone service issues related to a nearby music festival, which affected their ability to route the vehicles. Unfortunately, Cruise did not provide any further comment regarding the incident.
This traffic jam over the weekend attracted attention due to the opposition faced by regulators’ decision, with groups like San Francisco’s police and fire departments expressing strong disagreement. In a hearing last week, these officials highlighted over 600 incidents involving driverless vehicles since June 2022, including problems near emergency response zones, obstructing emergency travel, and close encounters with personnel or equipment.
Before Thursday’s vote, both Waymo and Cruise had restricted operations in San Francisco. Cruise could only offer fared service from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in certain areas if a safety driver was not present, and any time if the ride was free. With a safety driver, they could charge fares around the clock. Similarly, Waymo could not charge fares without a safety driver present, but with one, they had the flexibility to charge passengers for rides at any time.
Waymo claims to have over 100,000 signups on their waitlist for service and sees this service expansion as the start of their commercial operations in San Francisco. However, they did not provide any details on the weekend’s ride-hailing numbers or comment on how the Cruise traffic jam might affect their future plans. Nonetheless, Chris Ludwick, Waymo’s product management director, expressed that the demand for their service has been remarkably high, and they will continue to expand their service and fleet gradually, prioritizing safety and the needs of the local communities.
During a July 25 earnings call, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt discussed the company’s plans to saturate a city like San Francisco with their vehicles, potentially introducing thousands of robotaxis. Vogt pointed out that there are over 10,000 human ride-hail drivers in San Francisco, indicating a substantial market for the introduction of autonomous vehicles, which can operate for longer hours.
Overall, the approval of round-the-clock robotaxi service in San Francisco has faced challenges with the recent traffic jam caused by Cruise vehicles. However, both companies, Waymo and Cruise, remain committed to expanding and improving their services in the city while keeping the safety of their passengers and local communities as a top priority.
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