California gives Waymo and Cruise the go-ahead to charge passengers

Enlarge (credit: Cruise)

The robotaxi companies Waymo and Cruise now have permission to offer around-the-clock driverless rides to fee-paying passengers in San Fransisco. Until now, both autonomous ride-hailing companies have been able to offer restricted service in the city, but on Thursday afternoon the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a pair of resolutions that remove those restrictions.

California established a pathway to approving robotaxi operations in late 2020 when the CPUC announced a deployment program. Both Waymo and Cruise had been using testing permits to drive around the city, but in 2021 both applied for permission to start operating a commercial service with no safety driver on board and that charged passengers for their rides.

In 2021, the California Department of Motor Vehicles gave both Waymo and Cruise deployment permits for autonomous vehicles, but any commercial services also required CPUC's approval.