AUTONEWS

This is why self-driving taxis are seen: “Takes zero responsibility”

A car that got stuck in liquid cement, another that collided with a fire engine that was on call and also – a run over dog. Self-driving taxis touch and stir in San Francisco. The question is, do the companies have any future in California?

It has been described as a taste of the future, but so far it has left a bitter aftertaste for some San Francisco residents. Earlier this summer, the authorities gave the go-ahead for two taxi companies to expand their operations with self-driving taxis to include the busiest hours of the day. In this way, it would also be possible to compete to an ever greater extent with traditional taxi operations.

However, the company Cruise, which is owned by the motor giant General Motors, and the competitor Waymo backed by Google’s parent company Alphabet, have faced opposition from everything from unions to the city’s public transport, but above all – the city of San Francisco itself.

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Through lawyer David Chiu, a motion has been filed to stop the expansion plans, as residents are scared and question the safety of the so-called robot taxis. reports the news agency Bloomberg.

A series of incidents involving self-driving cars

This happens after a series of incidents recently:

The very day after the authorities gave the go-ahead, ten taxis got stuck in a row and stopped in one of San Francisco’s neighborhoods, blocking all traffic. According to the company Cruise, a nearby music festival affected the mobile network, causing the cars to stop working.

Another car belonging to the company also collided with a fire truck that had pulled out. In the collision, the passenger in the taxi was injured and had to be taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Earlier this summer, before the company got the green light, a Waymo car hit a dog that died in the crash. Then there was also a driver in the car who would monitor the journey.

According to the San Francisco Fire Department, a total of about 60 incidents have occurred since April 2022.

However, the city’s hopes of stopping the operation are not entirely uncontroversial and may risk affecting the labor market. The tech industry with nearby Silicon Valley has been pressured in the new interest rate environment with mass layoffs and several tech companies are now starting to turn their eyes to states like Texas where the tax pressure is lower and there are also not the same regulations to take into account.

In Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, for example, Cruise states that the company does not even need to apply for a permit, and Texas has been able to offer it within a couple of days.

Does not take responsibility...However, San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson is not particularly impressed and is now questioning the 250 Waymo cars, as well as the 400 belonging to Cruise, which are considered to complicate the work of the fire department, especially as San Francisco is known for its hills and narrow streets.

– Every time something happens to a Cruise car, they send out their PR people and take zero responsibility. We need them to sit down and admit that there are challenges and work with us on how to solve them, says Jeanine Nicholson to Bloomberg.

According to a spokesperson for the company, however, attempts have been made to arrange a meeting on several occasions, but to no avail.

Source: Ny Teknik – startsida