Self-driving taxis suspended in L.A., NorCal

Self-driving car company Waymo may no longer offer rides in its robotaxis after the California Public Utilities Commission suspended their ability to transport members of the public.

According to KTVU, the CPUC suspended Waymo for up to 120 days after the company sought to expand its services in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, prompting protests from some local officials.

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Vice President David J. Canepa said in a statement to KTVU that Waymo has “stalled any meaningful discussions on its expansion plans,” so the company won’t be able to “test robotaxi service virtually unfettered both in San Mateo and Los Angeles counties.”

“This will provide the opportunity to fully engage the autonomous vehicle maker on our very real public safety concerns that have caused all kinds of dangerous situations for firefighters and police in neighboring San Francisco,” Canepa said.

In a letter to CPUC President Alice Busching Reynolds, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass highlighted incidents in San Francisco such as Waymo vehicles blocking firehouse driveways and parking on top of fire hoses.

Locally, a Waymo robotaxi intially failed to stop for a traffic officer in 2023, though no injuries were reported.

The company began offering rides late last year in parts of L.A. County, including Santa Monica, Century City, West Hollywood, Mid-City Koreatown and downtown L.A., according to the Los Angeles Times.

At that time, Bass asked the CPUC to authorize local regulation of self-driving vehicles.

“To date, local jurisdictions like Los Angeles have had little to no input in [autonomous vehicle] deployment and are already seeing significant harm and disruption,” she wrote.

A Waymo spokesperson told the Times that before expanding its service area, the company “reached out to stakeholders including county officials, local first responders, cities, bike coalitions and others,” the newspaper reported

“Our briefings included information on Waymo’s mission, experience and how our technology works,” the spokesperson said.