California Regulators Draft Approval for Round-the-Clock Robotaxi Fares in San Francisco
The California Public Utilities Commission drafts resolutions allowing Cruise and Waymo to charge for 24/7 autonomous rides, despite strong opposition from city agencies over safety and traffic disruptions.
Self-driving companies Waymo and Cruise move closer to securing final approval to charge fares for fully autonomous robotaxi rides across San Francisco at all hours. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) publishes two draft resolutions that grant these companies the ability to expand their service areas and extend operating hours beyond current limits.
This regulatory push faces significant pushback from San Francisco city agencies, which cite numerous incidents of malfunctioning Cruise vehicles obstructing traffic and blocking emergency responders. City officials urge the CPUC to move cautiously by setting up workshops, collecting more data, and prohibiting robotaxi deployment downtown during peak hours, though the drafted language indicates the CPUC largely rejects these protests.
The scheduled June 29 hearing follows a public comment period that ends May 31, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Association conducts a separate investigation into Cruise. Neither company discloses exact fleet sizes, though Waymo confirms it operates a couple hundred cars in its fully autonomous service areas, raising concerns among transit authorities that uncapped expansion worsens systemwide delays.