San Francisco Mayor Seeks 4 New AV Rules After Waymo Gridlock Traps 100,000-Event Traffic
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 17
San Francisco Mayor Seeks 4 New AV Rules After Waymo Gridlock Traps 100,000-Event Traffic
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Jul 17
Summary
Daniel Lurie asked California regulators to impose four statewide operating standards for autonomous vehicles after Waymo robotaxis stalled in July 4 congestion, ran out of power and blocked key San Francisco streets.
Two incidents drove the request: a fireworks night that drew 100,000 spectators and a December power outage, both of which left dozens of Waymo vehicles stranded and worsened citywide gridlock.
Lurie wants robotaxi operators required to clear disabled vehicles from travel lanes quickly, reroute service in real time, share live disruption and recovery data, and prove they can handle major surges.
Waymo said it has supported large San Francisco events successfully and will keep working with city agencies, but Lurie said voluntary coordination is no longer enough as the fleet has grown.
Waymo now runs about 1,000 robotaxis in the Bay Area and more than 500,000 paid rides a week across 11 cities, making its scale a central test of California's already strict AV permitting system.