Just before Patti Smith took the stage in San Francisco this month, the emcee thanked sponsors, including robotaxi company Waymo.
The audience booed, reflecting the hostility that’s growing in the city for one of tech’s most-watched industries.
California’s regulator this month approved an expansion of robotaxi services in the city, allowing Waymo, a part of Alphabet Inc., and Cruise LLC, a unit of General Motors Co., to begin charging fares for rides when the streets are busiest. But they’re also now battling labor unions, the city’s public transit system and city attorney David Chiu, who petitioned the state to suspend the expanded fare licenses.
Cruise and Waymo are the only firms in California allowed to run paid robotaxi services around-the-clock. The approval came Aug. 10 from the California Public Utilities Commission, after Cruise worked for nine years to get 10 permits. Other states have been more lenient. Cruise secured a permit in Arizona in a month and Texas can offer them within days. In Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, the company said it doesn’t even require an autonomous-vehicle permit.
San Francisco’s fire chief, Jeanine Nicholson, is one of the most outspoken critics of driverless vehicles — particularly taking issue with Cruise — and how they can hinder the work of emergency responders. With its famous hills, fog and narrow streets, San Francisco is a challenging city for fire trucks to maneuver in. During an emergency, response times — by seconds and minutes — really matter, especially when it comes to saving lives.
In an emailed statement, Waymo said it’s committed to bolstering road safety and building community trust.
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