Autonomous car tech company Waymo is gearing up to launch its paid driverless services in seven new cities in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
Waymo to expand operation in 22 new cities
Waymo announced Friday its plans to start testing its fully autonomous passenger cars in seven new Bay Area cities in the “coming weeks,” San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The move came after the company recently gained the necessary approval of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to expand its robotaxi services to Los Angeles and other areas in the San Francisco peninsula.
The CPUC gave Waymo the green light to expand its pilot program to as many as 22 cities in the San Francisco peninsula without restrictions.
Waymo plans to start the expansion push by launching operations in the following seven new cities this month:
- Brisbane
- Burlingame
- Colma
- Daly City
- Millbrae
- San Bruno
- South San Francisco
Initial coverage
The initial coverage of the testing expansion will only be exclusive to Waymo employees, according to the report.
Nonetheless, the company plans to gradually offer its services to public customers and take paid rides.
You can check Waymo’s new operating area in California in the photos attached to the X post below:
“Expanding our service across the Peninsula will take time. We’ll continue taking a careful and incremental approach, following our safety framework and working closely with city officials, local communities, and first responders.”
Waymo
Legal barriers
Despite these significant advancements in Waymo’s robotaxi services, the company continues to struggle with legal barriers.
Numerous authorities remain apprehensive about autonomous vehicles, including the following:
- The City of South San Francisco
- San Mateo County
- The Los Angeles Department of Transportation
- San Francisco County Transportation Authority
San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance has also been protesting against the expansion of Waymo’s driverless cars.
Earlier this year, California also introduced a new bill that could potentially grant individual communities more control over where driverless cars can operate. It poses a significant barrier against Waymo’s expansion plans in the state.
Nonetheless, Waymo strives to pursue its expansion plans. It will start deploying its robotaxis without a human driver on San Francisco Peninsula city streets in the coming weeks.
