Robotaxi service Waymo announced Tuesday that its autonomous vehicles will be available for rides to anyone in San Francisco who downloads the company’s app.
The announcement was made via a blog post on Tuesday morning. Waymo only accepted requests from riders selected from a waiting list that had grown to 300,000 people.
“The wait is over. Starting today, anyone can take a ride with Waymo in San Francisco. Rain, shine or Karl the Fog, just download the app and start riding,” the message read.
San Francisco becomes the second major city where Waymo’s robotaxis are open to all interested riders. The company has been offering rides in self-driving vehicles to Phoenix residents since 2020.
A YouTube video posted with the announcement states that Waymo’s autonomous cars have completed more than 4 million miles of self-driving trips in San Francisco through the end of March 2024.
Last month it was revealed that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation investigation into 22 incidents in which Waymo’s robotaxis was involved in collisions with solo vehicles or “exhibited driving behavior that may have violated highway safety laws.”
In February, the company’s planned expansion into California cities was announced temporarily halted by the state Public Utilities Commission. The announced move frustrated civil servants who indicated that Waymo had not consulted them about the expansion. The suspension, which lasted up to 120 days, was lifted in March and Waymo began operating in San Mateo County And in Los Angeles.
Also in February a Waymo robotaxi collided with a cyclist in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhoodleaving the cyclist with minor injuries. Another incident in February involved a Waymo vehicle was destroyed and set on fire by a group of people in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Senator Dave Cortese (D – San Jose) tried to pass new legislation this year to put regulatory authority for automated vehicles in the hands of local governments.
He withdrew his bill, Senate Bill 915, after “the essential element of local control was removed from the bill by the Assembly Transportation Committee.”
“There was a sharp difference of opinion on whether there should be any local control at all and I’m still baffled by that. We believe it’s really a common sense approach,” Cortese told CBS News Bay Area on Tuesday. “We are very slow in the state capital. For example, my bill died last week. We cannot now introduce a new bill until January. It is only a six month period. Well, by then the technology could improve Or we may find that the unintended consequences are increasing rapidly. So you want local governments to be involved, they can respond, they know their cities, they know their streets, (and) they know their situation.”
Cortese plans to reintroduce SB 915 early next year.
Kevin Ko contributed to this report.
