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Table Of Content

• San Francisco-Sausalito ferry service suspended indefinitely
• SF is getting pandas! That could be great for the city. It may not save Mayor Breed.
• CPUC Approves Permits for Cruise and Waymo To Charge Fares for Passenger Service in San Francisco
• Nancy Tung, a career prosecutor, elected as San Francisco Democratic Party chair
• Why Cruise to the USA With Celebrity Cruises
• On the cusp of 24/7 service, robotaxis face pleas and protest in San Francisco
• More from CBS News

Jeffrey Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, says he’s bullish about the technology, but not the way company performance data is largely a black box to local officials. To underscore her point, Nicholson cited 55 written reports of the robotaxis interfering with emergency responses. She said she is worried the problems will get worse if Cruise and Waymo are allowed to operate their services wherever and whenever they want in San Francisco — raising the risk of their disruptions resulting in injury, death or the loss of property that could have been saved.

San Francisco-Sausalito ferry service suspended indefinitely

San Francisco Robotaxis: Petition To Re-Do Expansion Vote Filed - The San Francisco Standard

San Francisco Robotaxis: Petition To Re-Do Expansion Vote Filed.

Posted: Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

State legislators are pushing a bill that would delay the advent of driverless trucks and wrest away regulatory control from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Voting in favor were Commissioners John Reynolds and Darcie Houck, and commission Chair Alice Reynolds. Historian Peter Norton isn’t confident cars will fix the problems cars caused. According to the San Francisco Police Department, between June 2022 and June 2023, Cruise vehicles were involved in 30 collisions, six of which resulted in injuries.

SF is getting pandas! That could be great for the city. It may not save Mayor Breed.

The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. Washington DC is celebrated as the capital of the United States, and many important dignitaries from around the globe have come to the city for a host of memorable events. I recommend this tour it’s a different way to see the monuments and memorials without walking a million miles. As you sail, you’ll discover all the wonderful amenities that make a vacation on board our award-winning ships such a luxurious experience. Live life at your own pace, whether you want a workout in the Fitness Center or a private cabana by the pool. Unwind in the spa, take in the views from the Magic Carpet on Edge-series ships, or relax on the fragrant grass at the Lawn Club on Solstice-series ships.

CPUC Approves Permits for Cruise and Waymo To Charge Fares for Passenger Service in San Francisco

But the companies defined these freezing incidents differently, and robotaxi critics say they aren’t transparent about where and when their vehicles get stuck. Cruise and Waymo already operate paid, driverless ride-hailing services in metropolitan Phoenix, where the Arizona state government has mostly opted out of regulating autonomous vehicle technology. But California’s reliable weather, populous cities, surplus of tech talent, and first-in-the-nation AV regulations dating back to 2012 make it an attractive challenge for self-driving-car developers. California today cleared all-day paid robotaxi service in San Francisco—with unlimited fleets of self-driving cars.

Nancy Tung, a career prosecutor, elected as San Francisco Democratic Party chair

The resolution passed by the commissioners said that the CPUC did not have enough information to conclude that robotaxis have been operating unsafely in the city. It says the commission will push to update the companies’ data collection requirements, including information on unplanned stops and interactions with first responders. According to the CPUC, more than 200 people signed up for public comment and they represent a broad range of people who support or oppose the expansions of robotaxi service in the city. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles has logged nearly 75 collisions involving autonomous vehicles this year, including one last May in which a Waymo vehicle ran over and killed a small dog. Self-driving cars tend to be ultra-cautious, obeying the speed limit and stopping at stop signs — so much so that some human drivers don’t like sharing the streets with them. The state’s green light, on a 3-1 vote by the California Public Utilities Commission, signals a historic turning point for the robotaxi business as it evolves from fascinating experiment to commercial reality.

SAN FRANCISCO — A California state board is set to vote Aug. 10 on whether to allow tech companies Waymo and Cruise to launch a massive expansion of driverless taxi fleets in San Francisco, but the stakes are far bigger than local politics. The resolution also addressed city officials’ concerns about lack of local control over safety and traffic flow not only in San Francisco but also in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Before issuing any permits, the SFMTA argued that the CPUC should collect better and new AV data (including unexpected stops and duration of the stops) and create a performance evaluation framework and methods for analysis of the data. The CPUC could then authorize the incremental expansion of AV services using that framework and the data collected. Between April 2022 and April 2023, the SFMTA collected a total of 261 incidents involving a Cruise vehicle and 85 incidents involving a Waymo vehicle.

Waymo and — especially — Cruise have been tossing money around with both hands; the unsurprising revelation that Willie Brown was being paid by Cruise was almost impossibly on-the-nose. Cutting a check to Da Mayor is what you do when you’ve got more dollars than sense; it’s the Something wrong? “Every day, city residents are using autonomous vehicles to get to work, get home from the bar, get a meal delivered to a food bank — and doing it safely,” Brown said. Nicholson said later — during a discussion about whether first responders on-site can operate and move any vehicles blocking the roads — that it wasn’t her department’s job to “babysit” autonomous cars.

Cruise on Monday disclosed it is currently testing 300 robotaxis during the day when it can only give rides for free, and 100 robotaxis at night when it has been allowed to charge for rides in less congested parts of San Francisco for the past 14 months. Waymo told regulators Monday that it has been operating about 100 of the 250 robotaxis it has available to give free rides to volunteers and employees throughout San Francisco. "Yes, I am in no way shape or form being persuaded by these companies to be here," explained Wolinsky. Although they have so far been able to drive millions of cumulative miles without causing any major accidents, the robotaxis have come to unexpected stops that have created road blocks that have at times impeded firefighters and police, in addition to normal traffic. The robotaxis have also driven into areas where traffic is prohibited, including repeated incursions into places where firefighters and police officers have been responding to emergencies. The critics focused on many of the issues that had been raised over the last few months including incidents where the vehicles stalled in the middle of roads, blocking traffic and in some cases interfering with emergency responders.

After hours of public testimony, those opposed to the vehicles appeared to have a slight edge over the supporters — though hundreds spoke for both sides. The commissioners urged the companies to address problems raised by San Francisco officials and residents about AVs blocking roads, causing traffic jams, and impeding emergency vehicles. If there are further reports of incidents, the CPUC could vote to limit the number of vehicles allowed on the road or revoke the companies’ permits altogether, Commissioner Darcie Houck said.

Each has deployed several hundred vehicles in the first phase of the commercial rollout. With the expansion, that will grow to thousands of vehicles, Cruise Chief Executive Kyle Vogt recently said on an earnings call. The vote in favor of the companies essentially gives robotaxis full access to the peninsula and its residents. They are now able to operate similarly to Uber or Lyft — travel anywhere in the city, at any time of day, and charge money for the rides. Especially because they all occurred only days prior to autonomous vehicle companies last week being granted full and unfettered access to city streets. Cruise and Waymo officials defended their vehicles’ technology, arguing that the random stops account for a sliver of their cars’ behaviors.

“We plan to grow our fleet in a very measured way,” she added, noting there were “practical constraints” on their rapid expansion. The company said it would open the service territory to cover all of mainland San Francisco soon, but did not specify when. Currently, riders can drive through most of the city except for Downtown and the city’s north side.

Other disability advocates, however, pointed out that AVs aren’t typically accessible for wheelchair users, and that the lack of a driver means users who need assistance getting into the taxi, like those who rely on walkers, won’t be able to use the robotaxis. Earlier this year, Cruise issued a voluntary recall of 300 of its vehicles with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall was in response to a minor collision where a Cruise robotaxi hit the back of a San Francisco bus.

Commissioners with the state's Public Utilities Commission voted eight in favor and two opposed to the expansions sought by robotaxi services Cruise and Waymo early Thursday evening after hours of public comment. San Francisco will become the first major U.S. city with two fleets of driverless vehicles competing for passengers against ride-hailing and taxi services dependent on humans to operate the cars. The 3-1 vote by the California Public Utilities Commission came in response to applications from Cruise, backed by General Motors, and Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet. It was taken in a packed San Francisco hearing room after a marathon six-hour public comment session, over strenuous objections from San Francisco officials and some vocal residents. The robots’ occasional struggles to interpret traffic conditions have in some cases delayed first responders, obstructed public transit, and disrupted construction work.

In December, Peskin wrote a resolution, signed onto by all 10 of his colleagues, explicitly spelling all this out. While the ruling holds the most importance for Waymo and Cruise, it could also influence how other cities decide to regulate AVs, opening the door for similar approvals in Arizona, Texas, and other states. "I’ve already had a worrying interaction with one. I was entering a crosswalk with the green like. I looked carefully in all directions, and abruptly, an empty cruise AV turned right in front of me and went on its way,” she said. "They're over here, talking about safety, trotting out blind people, with dogs, and the very elderly and so forth, and so on," said Michael Martinez, another person opposed to an increase in AVs. But the central discussion surrounded the question of safety, something else there is broad disagreement on. Some were on hand speaking in support, others in opposition, along with the long-suffering taxi industry.

Today, AV companies are only required to report collisions and not the many incidents of bricking. A “no” vote would certainly delay, if not completely derail, Cruise’s and Waymo’s plan to launch commercial operations in the state. That could accelerate plans to expand in other cities like Phoenix, where Waymo has long operated and where Cruise is starting to push into. Waymo has deployed two lobbyists with roots in SF government to lobby city officials.

But the CPUC said that Waymo and Cruise have met all their obligations laid out in the state’s regulatory framework covering autonomous vehicle testing and commercial operation. Whether you want to explore the dynamic cities and rocky shores of the East Coast, taste wines in the California sunshine, bask on Florida’s golden beaches, or see Alaska’s incredible wildlife, our United States cruises will deliver your dream vacation. Immerse yourself in Boston’s historic sites and exciting culinary scene. Ride the vintage cable cars in San Francisco and explore the dazzling colors of Seattle’s Pike Place Market.