The City of San Francisco previously sued California regulators to prevent this from happening, with a city attorney originally aiming for the CPUC to put a pause on deciding for Golden State regulators to investigate self-driving safety issues thoroughly. The CPUC did postpone its decision last week, but Waymo has ultimately received the desired outcome.
Other groups that protested the outcome included the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, which argued that “unimpeded service expansion without local consultation, collaboration, and oversight” would harm autonomous vehicle technology and Los Angeles. “Any expansion of AV deployment is premature until Senate Bill 915, which would expand local control over AVs, is settled.”
This approval comes following a shift in the self-driving sphere. In recent months, public opinion of robotaxis has taken a dive.