California's regulators have given the "go" signal for Waymo's planned expansion of its EV taxi operations in Los Angeles and San Francisco despite pushbacks during the past months.
Waymo announced the California Public Utilities Commission's approval via X (formerly Twitter), citing it as a "vote of confidence" for its Waymo One commercial service.
We’re grateful to the @californiapuc for this vote of confidence in our operations, which paves the way for the deployment of our commercial Waymo One service in LA and the SF Peninsula. https://t.co/o54i6WJrhQ
— Waymo (@Waymo) March 1, 2024
This means that Waymo now has the permission to deploy as many of its self-driving cars around the Bay Area with cruising speeds of up to 65 mph. Waymo currently has over 15,000 cars operating in LA.
The approval comes amid locals and county officials calling to halt Waymo's expansion until it fixed all the issues with its self-driving software.
Just last month, Waymo recalled the software for its robotaxis after two vehicles crashed into the same truck in Arizona in December.
Although no involved passengers and drivers were injured in the incident, Waymo said it "carefully considered" points raised by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to improve safety.
Locals Oppose Waymo Expansion in California
Many locals, state officials and traditional taxi drivers have expressed dissatisfaction over PUC's approval of Waymo's expansion.
Residents have long alerted authorities of the self-driving vehicles suffering sudden stops in the middle of the road and even disrupting emergency response in the city.
These points were raised in San Francisco's lawsuit against the PUC in January, demanding the regulators to reverse its decision.
Concerns Raised Over Self-Driving Cars Expansion in the Bay Area
There is also the incident with Cruise, another self-driving company approved along with Waymo, that resulted in a pedestrian colliding with one of its vehicles before getting dragged 20 feet.
Regulators have since indefinitely suspended Cruise's operations, with the company recalling all of its vehicles in the Bay Area.
Several residents also vandalized and set fire to one of Waymo's cars during the Lunar New Year festival as tension between the two parties continued to rise.
Waymo earlier said it is consolidating with officials and residents regarding its operations but has yet to announce improvements over said discussions.
