Robotaxis aim to take San Francisco on a ride into the future, by providing an autonomous transportation option that is affordable

Key Highlights :

1. Two ride-hailing services, Cruise and Waymo, are seeking regulatory approval to transport passengers around the clock throughout one of the most densely populated U.S. cities.

2. If both services reach their goal before year's end, San Francisco would become the first U.S. city with two totally driverless services competing against Uber, Lyft and traditional taxis.

3. Cruise and Waymo still must navigate around potential roadblocks, including complaints about their vehicles making unexpected, traffic-clogging stops.

4. Cruise already has been charging people for driverless rides in less congested parts of San Francisco during night-time hours.

5. Waymo has been giving free driverless rides in a broader swath of the city while awaiting clearance to begin charging passengers in robotic vehicles.

6. The effort to unleash dueling driverless services throughout San Francisco is shaping up to be just the first step in a far more ambitious expansion centered in California.

7. Cruise recently applied for permission to begin testing its robotic vehicles throughout California at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour).

8. Waymo is already testing its driverless cars in Los Angeles.

9. The California push comes on top of Cruise starting to test its robotaxis in Austin, Texas, as well as Phoenix, where since 2020 Waymo's driverless ride-hailing service has been carrying passengers on Arizona roads that are far less congested and challenging than the streets of San Francisco.

10. "We still have work to do, but it's improving at a pretty rapid rate," Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told The Associated Press.

11. Saswat Panigrahi, Waymo's chief product officer, expects the company's past experience to pay off as it transplants what it has learned from operating a driverless ride-hailing service in Phoenix to more heavily trafficked cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.

12. Robotaxis could also lower prices for passengers, although Vogt believes consumers may be willing to pay more for rides without a stranger behind the wheel.

13. The investments so far have produced a mixed bag of successes, flops and hyperbole from the likes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

14. Concerns about robotaxis operating in ways that cause headaches for the people outside the vehicle was raised in a cautionary letter sent to California regulators in January by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.

      San Francisco is quickly becoming a hotbed for the race towards autonomous ride-hailing services. Two major players, Cruise and Waymo, are currently seeking regulatory approval to provide 24/7 driverless transportation services in the city.      

If both companies are able to obtain approval before the end of the year, San Francisco will be the first city in the United States to have two fully autonomous ride-hailing services competing with traditional taxi services, as well as industry giants Uber and Lyft.      

The road to regulatory approval, however, has not been easy. Both Cruise and Waymo have had to navigate around potential roadblocks, such as complaints about unexpected stops and traffic congestion caused by autonomous vehicles.      

Despite these challenges, Cruise has already begun charging customers for driverless rides in less congested areas of San Francisco during nighttime hours. Meanwhile, Waymo has been providing free rides in a larger portion of the city, while awaiting regulatory approval to begin charging passengers for rides in autonomous vehicles.      

The competition between the two companies in San Francisco is just the beginning of a larger expansion plan throughout California. Cruise has recently applied for permission to test its autonomous vehicles at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour throughout the state, while Waymo is already testing its driverless cars in Los Angeles.      

The two companies are also expanding outside of California. Cruise has begun testing its robotaxis in Austin, Texas, while Waymo has been providing rides in autonomous vehicles in Phoenix since 2020.      

Although concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles and potential job loss have been raised, both Cruise and Waymo are optimistic about the future of autonomous ride-hailing services. Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt believes that customers may be willing to pay more for rides without a human driver, while Saswat Panigrahi, Waymo's chief product officer, expects the company's experience in operating a driverless ride-hailing service in Phoenix to translate well to more heavily trafficked cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.      

While the investments in autonomous vehicles have produced mixed results, both Cruise and Waymo remain committed to the development and expansion of their autonomous ride-hailing services. Concerns about the impact of these services on public safety have been raised by some, however, the companies are continuing to work with regulators to ensure that their vehicles operate safely and efficiently on city streets.

Continue Reading at Source : cbsnews