Waymo is now allowed to operate its self-driving robotaxis on highways in parts of Los Angeles and the Bay Area after a California regulator approved its expansion plans (PDF) on Friday. This means the company's cars are now allowed to drive at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour on local streets and highways in approved areas. In a statement to The Washington Post, Waymo spokeswoman Julia Ilina said the company's expansion will be “careful and gradual” and that it has “no immediate plans” to expand service to highways.
Now, the CPUC has concluded that Waymo has, in expanded areas, “focused on continually evaluating and improving its technology, safety practices, and human-involved aspects of its operations to minimize the risk of driverless passenger services.” The decision gave Waymo permission to begin expanding immediately.
CPUC wrote in its decision that it denied a request from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) for evidentiary hearings on “disputed facts” because it had not identified “material disputed facts that could be resolved through formal hearings.” LADOT also asked the CPUC to wait until a California law, Senate Bill 915, that would give cities more regulatory influence over robotaxis is clarified, but the CPUC called that and other arguments “outside the scope of delegated authority.” of the staff”.
According to the commission, several groups that wrote to CPUC in support of the expansion “generally highlighted the potential safety, accessibility, economic and environmental benefits” of the Waymo service. Some still had concerns, like the American Council of the Blind, which said the CPUC should not approve Waymo's application without beginning “the process” of establishing new safety and accessibility standards. The Commission declined to do so, calling these and other regulatory issues “matters for broader AV policy.”