Waymo’s application to expand its robotaxi service in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties has been suspended for 120 days by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division.
The decision doesn’t change Waymo’s ability to commercially operate driverless vehicles in San Francisco.
However, it does put an abrupt halt to the company’s aspirations to expand where it can operate — at least until June 2024.
The CPED said on its website that the application has been suspended for further staff review.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Vice President David J. Canepa issued a statement following the ruling.
Cruise lost the permits it needed to operate commercially in the state of California and has since grounded its fleet elsewhere.
Problems with Cruise began almost immediately after the company received the last remaining permit required to operate its robotaxi service commercially throughout San Francisco.
On that day, a pedestrian crossing a street in San Francisco was initially hit by a human-driven car and landed in the path of a Cruise robotaxi and run over.
Even after obtaining the Full Video, Cruise did not correct the public narrative but continued instead to share incomplete facts and video about the Accident with the media and the public.
This conduct has caused both regulators and the media to accuse Cruise of misleading them.”This story is developing …
Select Waymo One riders can now get picked up or dropped off by the company’s robotaxis curbside at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Waymo became the first autonomous vehicle operator in the U.S. to launch a paid robotaxi service to and from the airport in November 2022.
The average trip rating for its airport trips has been about 4.7 out of 5 stars, Waymo says.
Waymo’s trusted testers are riders who have been vetted by the company and have signed nondisclosure agreements.
“Last year, we partnered with Waymo to become the first airport in the world to offer travelers the ability to take an autonomous vehicle to the airport,” said Chad Makovsky, aviation director at Sky Harbor Airport, in a statement.
Cruise spokesperson Erik Moser confirmed the departures and shared a statement, but declined to comment on whether these employees were fired.
“Today, following an initial analysis of the October 2 incident and Cruise’s response to it, nine individuals departed Cruise.
A video, which TechCrunch viewed a day after the incident, showed the robotaxi braking aggressively and coming to a stop over the woman.
Morale at Cruise has been low since the October 2 incident, with employees pointing the finger at poor management that didn’t prioritize safety at the company.
Initial layoffs affected contract workers who had jobs cleaning, charging and maintaining the vehicles as well as answering customer support inquiries.
Cruise spokesperson Erik Moser confirmed the departures and shared a statement, but declined to comment on whether these employees were fired.
“Today, following an initial analysis of the October 2 incident and Cruise’s response to it, nine individuals departed Cruise.
A video, which TechCrunch viewed a day after the incident, showed the robotaxi braking aggressively and coming to a stop over the woman.
Morale at Cruise has been low since the October 2 incident, with employees pointing the finger at poor management that didn’t prioritize safety at the company.
Initial layoffs affected contract workers who had jobs cleaning, charging and maintaining the vehicles as well as answering customer support inquiries.
Cruise spokesperson Erik Moser confirmed the departures and shared a statement, but declined to comment on whether these employees were fired.
“Today, following an initial analysis of the October 2 incident and Cruise’s response to it, nine individuals departed Cruise.
A video, which TechCrunch viewed a day after the incident, showed the robotaxi braking aggressively and coming to a stop over the woman.
Morale at Cruise has been low since the October 2 incident, with employees pointing the finger at poor management that didn’t prioritize safety at the company.
Initial layoffs affected contract workers who had jobs cleaning, charging and maintaining the vehicles as well as answering customer support inquiries.
