Driverless taxis will likely be available on the Peninsula soon, as Waymo’s recent green light by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and its Jan. 19 proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission may lead to imminent expansion to the county.\nOn Thursday, Jan. 11, the autonomous vehicle company received the DMV’s OK to deploy cars within large swaths of San Mateo County, and it is now seeking the required approval from the state’s utilities commission over a passenger safety plan. If the plan moves forward, the Mountain View-based firm would be allowed to fully operate its autonomous vehicles, including passenger transport services, from San Francisco to the Sunnyvale area, although a large section west of Interstate 280 would be excluded, such as Pacifica and Half Moon Bay.\nThe driverless vehicles are a sensitive subject for some Bay Area residents and elected officials, as recent controversies — such as an October incident in which a San Francisco woman was pinned down by one of Cruise’s driverless taxis during a hit-and-run — led the state to revoke the firm’s privileges.\nLeaders are also concerned they will not have authority to determine whether the cars are permitted in their cities. State Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, introduced a bill earlier this month to grant cities more control over how services like Waymo will be allowed to operate, and San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa has also voiced concern.\n“Our highways and city streets should not be a testing laboratory for robotaxis that we have no control over. The DMV and CPUC should not dictate how cities or counties establish the rules of the road. That should be decided by the people who live there in a democratic and transparent way and not by state bureaucrats behind closed doors,” Bill Silverfarb, policy director for San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, wrote in an email.\nAccording to Waymo’s safety plan, the firm trained more than 3,000 first responders within the updated locations and reached out to more than 100 community groups. The company is also seeking further expansion in the Los Angeles area.\nPatrick Gilster, director of Planning and Fund Management for the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, said in an email the county is cautiously optimistic about the news.\n“As we continue working with our partners at the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County on our first ever Countywide Automated Vehicles Strategic Plan, the biggest concern we’ve heard is about safety and we look forward to monitoring how Waymo will be communicating their progress with San Mateo County residents,” Gilster wrote.\nAccording to the state DMV website, roughly 50 vehicle collision reports involving Waymo were filed last year throughout the state, out of about 130 total reports. The Public Utilities Commission staff has until Feb. 20 to move forward on the advice letter Waymo submitted, which can be subject to further review and discussion depending on whether the issue is escalated to the commissioners.”,
