Waymo and Cruise got the green light to provide 24/7 paid taxi services across San Francisco after California regulators approved new rules for the fledgling self-driving car industry in the face of hefty public opposition.
The vote by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday overturned state restrictions that had previously limited the areas and hours of operation for robotaxis—for example, Cruise’s autonomous cars could only take paying passengers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., while Waymo was not allowed to take any fees for rides unless there was a safety driver present in the car.
