Robot taxis approved in San Francisco

It seems obvious to choose the city of Silicon Valley as a testing ground for the new, self-driving cab services. All the more so when you know that Waymo, one of the two manufacturing companies, is a Google sister. The other company is Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors.

Both Waymo and Cruise have been involved in developing and testing self-driving cars for years - both in San Francisco. Until now, however, only Cruise had permission to provide commercial cab rides in the city, and only at night. Waymo has not been allowed to provide transportation for money without a "safety driver" on board.

In the meantime, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the California regulatory authority, has also lifted these restrictions, and both companies are now permitted to transport passengers for money around the clock and throughout the entire San Francisco metropolitan area. Even without a safety driver. With its decision, the CPUC overrode protests from some residents' groups. An initial hearing is expected in the fall to discuss the first experiences with the robot cabs.

Ideal training field

Now that the California authorities have made their decision, the robotaxis can be used commercially without hindrance. The two companies are currently still using converted electric cars as vehicles - without steering wheel and pedals. However, vehicles designed specifically for autonomous driving are planned for the future, which will then do without the seat for the safety driver.

Why San Francisco? The city is ideal for testing self-driving cars because, according to Kyle Vogt, Cruise's chief executive, its many hills and heavy traffic make it challenging to navigate. Plus, there's the notorious fog, he said, so San Francisco could be considered the perfect endurance test for autonomous driving cars. The company is already expanding to other U.S. cities.

Robotaxis as a business model?

Whether the robotaxis are suitable as a business model in the medium or long term remains to be seen. The relaxed regulations mean that the economic test phase can now begin. The fact is that the investments are more than substantial, which is why the cabs now have to be booked around the clock if possible. It is true that there is a huge demand for driving services in San Francisco alone, as the Cruise boss lists on the basis of 10,000 people currently working in the sector. However, these people are not employed around the clock. Nevertheless, Vogt puts the potential demand in major cities at several thousand robot cabs.

Critics accuse the authorities and manufacturing companies that the new types of cabs sometimes block roads, clog intersections and endanger the lives of passers-by and passengers in a direct or indirect way - by blocking escape routes. This happens again and again due to software errors. Proponents defend the robot cabs with the argument that computers can never be distracted at the wheel, whereas this is more often the case with humans.

Driverless cabs soon also in Germany

Other companies are also discovering autonomous driving for themselves. Amazon subsidiary Zoox, for example, is also working on plans to introduce robotaxis, and Mobileye, a subsidiary of chip giant Intel, even wants to introduce the autonomous driving service in Germany.

However, there are also opposing trends: For example, the high investment costs have contributed to the fact that several companies have already discontinued the development of autonomous driving cars; one example is Uber, which has sold its "robotics" division.

Source: tagesschau.de, 11.08.2023
Image: Waymo