Google sister company
Waymo is allowed to expand robotaxi services in California
A self-driving car from Google sister company Waymo is driving in San Francisco traffic. photo
© Andrej Sokolow/dpa
Waymo can report another success: the Google sister company is allowed to expand its service in California. However, there is resistance to self-driving cars in the region.
A California regulator on Friday approved commercial trips in a large area south of San Francisco to Sunnyvale, about 60 kilometers away. This area also includes the San Francisco airport and Google headquarters in Mountain View. However, Waymo has so far stated that there are currently no plans to immediately expand the range of use of the vehicles.
Previously, Waymo was allowed to transport passengers in self-driving cars without people behind the wheel in the San Francisco metropolitan area. Waymo recently had around 250 cars in use there. The company emerged from Google’s robot car program, which began around 15 years ago.
resistance in the region
There is resistance to self-driving cars in the region: some authorities and residents criticize that the vehicles hinder traffic and are not safe enough. For example, emergency services complained that robotaxis sometimes stopped in the middle of the road and blocked their path. Transit companies in San Francisco also reported similar problems for their buses. A few weeks ago, a Waymo car was set on fire by vandals during Chinese New Year celebrations and was completely burned out.
The competitor Cruise has to forego a similar permit for trips in San Francisco as Waymo has for the time being – it was frozen after the accident in October. At that time, a woman was hit by another car with a person behind the wheel and thrown in front of the cruise vehicle. She got stuck under the robotaxi and was dragged by it for several meters. General Motors replaced management at Cruise after the accident. The ambitious growth plans of the previous cruise management have been cut back and the robotaxi service is now only to be restarted in one city. The plans for a cruise vehicle without a steering wheel and pedals have been put on hold for the time being. Waymo uses converted electric cars from Jaguar in its robotaxi fleet.