San Francisco Approves 24/7 Paid Robotaxi Services from Waymo and Cruise

California regulators have granted permission to Google’s Waymo and GM’s Cruise to charge fares for fully driverless rides in San Francisco at any time of the day. The decision was made by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with a 3 to 1 vote, following an assessment of the companies’ compliance with licensing requirements and consideration of public testimonies both in favor and against the expansion.

Waymo said it will “gradually welcome more passengers to the service” and “will begin charging tickets for passenger-only trips within the city” in the coming weeks.” Apparently, it already has 100,000 signups on its waiting list and expects demand to be “incredibly high,” so it wants to take a leisurely approach “to ensure that riders receive reliable service.” The company promises to make its fully autonomous journeys “available to everyone over time.” Meanwhile, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said his company will continue to work with regulators to achieve its shared commitment to provide “safer, cleaner and more accessible transportation options.”

Currently, Waymo has 200 cars in San Francisco, while Cruise’s autonomous fleet has 300 vehicles. Before it received CPUC approval, Cruise was only able to offer passenger rides in restricted areas of San Francisco between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM without a safety driver and paid rides at any time with a safety driver. Waymo, on the other hand, could only charge passengers at any time of day when a safety driver was present.

According to the San Francisco Standard, Commission Chairwoman Alice Reynolds and Commissioners Darcie Houck and John Reynolds voted in favor of the expansion. However, Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma voted against it, arguing that the CPUC did not have enough data needed to accurately assess the impact of autonomous vehicles on first responders. Their decision was the last hurdle companies had to face to offer 24/7 rides around the city. It came after listening to public concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles and testimony about how the technology could help the elderly and disabled be more independent.