Waymo robotaxis are approved for Los Angeles—and more areas around San Francisco

(Reuters) -The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a proposal from Alphabet’s Waymo to expand its fared, completely driverless robotaxi services to Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco, effective on Friday.

Waymo, which already operates in San Francisco and Phoenix, applied on Jan. 19 to expand its driverless services, saying it would work with policymakers, first responders and community organizations. Last month, the CPUC suspended the application “for further staff review.”

“Waymo may begin fared driverless passenger service operations in the specified areas of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Peninsula, effective today,” the regulator said on a notice posted to its website on Friday.

However, protests were submitted by the City of South San Francisco, the County of San Mateo, and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation among others.

The approval comes amid growing public hostility towards robotaxis following accidents involving Waymo and rival General Motors’ Cruise.

A Waymo robotaxi was attacked and set on fire in February as it stopped amid Chinese New Year celebrations in San Francisco’s Chinatown. That followed an incident in which another Waymo car struck a bicyclist at a city intersection.

—By Abhirup Roy and Zaheer Kachwala, Reuters

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