San Francisco transportation officers need Waymo and Cruise to gradual the growth of their robotaxi companies within the metropolis due to security issues, as NBC Information beforehand reported. In two letters to the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC), San Francisco County Transportation Authority officers say increasing any service “is unreasonable,” citing latest incidents involving stopped driverless autos blocking site visitors and obstructing emergency responders.
GM-backed Cruise and Alphabet-owned Waymo are at the moment the one corporations licensed to supply driverless rides to passengers in San Francisco. In June, Cruise received a allow to cost for rides in its autonomous autos (AVs) between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., whereas Waymo received a allow to supply driverless rides a number of months later. In contrast to Cruise, Waymo cannot but cost for driverless rides as a result of it is nonetheless ready for a further allow from the CPUC.
Now that each corporations have had their absolutely driverless autos on the streets of San Francisco for a number of months, we’re beginning to see the autos’ response — or lack thereof — to advanced site visitors conditions.
In July, a bunch of driverless Cruise autos blocked site visitors for hours after the automobiles inexplicably stopped working, and the same incident occurred in September. In the meantime, a driverless Waymo automobile created a site visitors jam in San Francisco after it stopped in the midst of an intersection earlier this month. The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration opened an investigation into Cruise final December attributable to issues concerning the autos blocking site visitors and inflicting rear-end collisions with heavy braking.
“A collection of restricted deployments with incremental expansions — moderately than limitless authorizations — supplies the most effective path to public confidence in driving automation and business success in San Francisco and past,” the letter states.
Firefighters say they had been solely in a position to cease a Cruise automobile from going over the hose after they “smashed the entrance window” of the automobile
Nevertheless, metropolis officers categorical concern about how driverless autos stack up towards emergency autos. Final April, officers say an autonomous cruise automobile stopped in a journey lane and “created an obstruction for a San Francisco Fireplace Division automobile en path to a Three-alarm hearth.”
Months later, a Cruise AV “ran over a firehouse that was getting used at an energetic hearth scene,” and one other Cruise automobile practically did the identical at an energetic firefighting scene earlier this month. Firefighters say they had been solely in a position to cease the automobile from going over the hose after “breaking the entrance window” of the automobile. Different incidents contain Cruise calling 911 about “unresponsive” passengers on three separate events, just for emergency companies to reach to search out the rider had simply fallen asleep.
“Cruise’s security file is publicly reported and consists of having flown thousands and thousands of miles in a extremely advanced city surroundings with out life-threatening accidents or fatalities,” stated Cruise spokesman Aaron Mclear. The Verge.
Whereas the San Francisco Transportation Authority helps the growth of driverless expertise, it desires extra transparency and extra safeguards. Officers say corporations needs to be required to gather extra information on automobile efficiency, together with how usually and the way lengthy their driverless autos maintain up site visitors. It additionally desires to limit AV corporations from working on San Francisco’s “central streets” throughout peak journey occasions till they reveal they’ll function persistently “with out important disruption to road operations and transit service.”
Even so, Cruise is trying to function his paid robotaxi service in San Francisco 24/7. Whereas the corporate received approval from the California Division of Motor Automobiles in December, it’s nonetheless awaiting the inexperienced gentle from the CPUC. Each corporations already provide rides in Phoenix, Arizona, and Cruise has additionally introduced its robotaxi service to Austin, Texas.
“These letters are a normal a part of the regulatory course of, and we have now lengthy appreciated a wholesome dialogue with metropolis officers and California authorities businesses,” Waymo spokeswoman Katherine Barna stated in a press release to The Verge. “Waymo can have a chance to reply in our submission to the CPUC subsequent week.”