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Waymo, owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, are the autonomous vehicle industry’s two leading players in the United States. They are the only two enterprises that can now charge for rides in their autonomous vehicles 24/7 around parts of San Francisco (and Phoenix for Waymo). While both companies have defended the safety benefits of their self-driving technology — claiming no fatalities or life-threatening injuries in their first million miles of fully autonomous driving —, concerns have arisen when a series of incidents happened soon after California regulators approved the expansion of driverless taxi services in San Francisco. After giving some insights into what a robot taxi ride looks like, this article will explore the San Francisco officials, activists, and residents’ main concerns about autonomous transportation. 

The driverless taxi experience can be confusing for a first timer. Waymo's app, Waymo One, is similar to Uber's. Users enter their destination and get an estimated wait time (which averages around 10 minutes). Once the app receives the request, the company dispatches from its fleet of 250 white Jaguar cars it operates across San Francisco. Waymo’s vehicles are equipped with high-tech sensors and cameras, and are valued at up to $200,000 each. When the car pulls up to the curb, riders are asked to press an “unlock” button on the app to get in. The rides are described as smooth but somewhat uneventful, with the cars following traffic rules meticulously — never exceed speed limits, use their turn signal well in advance, pause for pedestrians, yield to emergency vehicles, and avoid construction projects or accidents. However, some hiccups have been reported as well. It may happen that the car doesn’t take the most direct route, cruises under the speed limit, or defers excessively to other drivers. Once you reach your destination, the taxi speakers remind you to make sure it’s clear before exiting the car and the meditative electronic music that had greeted you at the beginning of the drive starts again. The entire experience makes it easy to forget that no one is behind the wheel, and the only reminder comes as you begin to thank the “driver” before stepping out of the car. Regarding the price, Waymo rides are affordable, ranging from $18 to $21, about the same as an Uber. It is then going to take years for the company to recoup its enormous investment. 

After California expanded the use of autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, a series of incidents involving driverless vehicles have been reported. The day after the vote, 10 autonomous vehicles operated by Cruise abruptly stopped functioning in the middle of a busy street, blocking traffic for 15 minutes. A few days later, another Cruise vehicle drove into a paving project and got stuck in freshly poured concrete. Lastly, a Cruise car collided with a fire truck, injuring a passenger in the car. As a result, Cruise agreed to a request from the California Department of Motor Vehicle (D.M.V.) to reduce its fleet in San Francisco from 400 vehicles to a maximum of 50 during the day and 150 at night. Waymo, which has been offering its services in the Phoenix area for several years now, has also faced some incidents, including a case where one of its cars fatally struck a small dog and another one collided with a pedestrian while a human safety driver was operating the wheel.

To many San Francisco officials, activists, and residents, these recent inopportune events made clear that driverless cars can be a danger, and, therefore, the city expressed its discontentment as state regulators approved the expansion without local input. Especially, city agencies have repeatedly raised concerns about the potential for these vehicles to impede emergency responders. That kind of obstruction could be a matter of life and death, according to the chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, Jeanine Nicholson. Additionally, public transportation and bicycle advocates worry about increased vehicle congestion, while taxi drivers fear job displacement, and passengers losing the assistance of human drivers for tasks like handling luggage and groceries. Cruise will operate at reduced capacity at least until the California D.M.V. completes an investigation of the vehicles’ safety that will determine its decision “to suspend or revoke testing and/or deployment permits”. Meanwhile, the debate will go on.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/22/us/california-autonomous-vehicles.html