Waymo Expands San Francisco Robotaxi Access as Cruise Faces Regulatory Scrutiny
Waymo broadens its robotaxi service to tens of thousands of waitlisted users across most of San Francisco, while rival Cruise deals with a recent pedestrian crash and a state-mandated fleet reduction.
Waymo significantly expands its robotaxi service area in San Francisco, now allowing tens of thousands of waitlisted riders to access neighborhoods like Fisherman's Wharf, Embarcadero, and Chinatown. The Alphabet subsidiary still requires users to join a waitlist and deliberately excludes Treasure Island from its coverage map. This expansion follows an August ruling by the California Public Utilities Commission that permits both Waymo and Cruise to operate commercial, 24/7 robotaxi services throughout the city.
While Waymo celebrates this milestone with a promotional video, rival Cruise faces intense scrutiny and operational setbacks. California's Department of Motor Vehicles recently orders Cruise to cut its fleet in half due to concerning incidents on city streets. This regulatory action comes just a week after a Cruise autonomous vehicle accidentally runs over a pedestrian who had already been struck by a human-driven car near Union Square.
The contrasting fortunes of the two companies highlight the ongoing challenges of deploying driverless technology in a dense urban environment. Waymo currently operates roughly 250 autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, giving it a slight numerical edge over its GM-backed competitor. Local officials, including Supervisor Aaron Peskin, continue to express safety concerns about the technology, and the city of San Francisco actively seeks a do-over of the state commission's original decision to allow round-the-clock robotaxi operations.