{"id":1911,"date":"2026-09-10T05:38:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T05:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1911"},"modified":"2026-09-10T05:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T05:38:06","slug":"robotaxis-make-headway-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1911","title":{"rendered":"Robotaxis Make Headway in California"},"content":{"rendered":"
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S<\/span>ACRAMENTO \u2014 California\u2019s government obviously is notorious for its slow-moving and bureaucratic permitting processes \u2014 and its frequent hostility to private enterprise. Despite the state budget\u2019s reliance on capital-gains revenue from the tech industry, officials here also can be quite meddlesome when it comes to AI and social media. But recent news from the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates autonomous passenger-service vehicles, offers some encouraging news.<\/p>\n

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The agency announced last month that it will allow Waymo\u2019s driverless taxis to expand into 12 additional counties, bringing its footprint to 18 counties that serve most of the state\u2019s 39-million residents, per news reports. This includes two entirely new markets, Sacramento and San Diego. I\u2019ve been watching Waymos pilot around the capital city in tests for months, but they have, by requirement, done so with a human driver. Now we\u2019ll see them in driverless mode. (RELATED: Robotaxis: Lawmakers Make Perfect the Enemy of the Good)<\/strong><\/p>\n

By approving Waymo\u2019s that was submitted in January, the commission acted fairly rapidly by state bureaucratic standards. And, per a report in Electrek<\/em>, the agency gave the company great latitude, as it applies to \u201call speed limits, freeways, highways, city streets, rural roads, parking lots, driveways, and rail crossings, day and night, in rain, fog and hail. The only real carve-out is widespread snow or ice.\u201d The latter isn\u2019t an issue in any of the state\u2019s metro areas.<\/p>\n

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Remember that a Waymo-involved collision is not necessarily a Waymo-caused collision.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s really no downside to allowing this company to expand its operations, and many upsides \u2014 especially given its gradual rollout and safety-focused strategy. The worst jab, per The Los Angeles Times<\/em>: \u201cStill, collisions involving Waymo vehicles have garnered public attention and criticism, including when a Waymo struck and killed a beloved neighborhood cat in San Francisco last year.\u201d Remember that a Waymo-involved collision is not necessarily a Waymo-caused collision.<\/p>\n

And if the death of a cat, however sad, is critics\u2019 biggest gripe, then the AV industry is doing well on the safety front. The data certainly confirms that point. A July report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance industry research group known for automobile crash tests, found: \u201cPer vehicle mile traveled (VMT), Waymo\u2019s driverless vehicles deployed in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin were involved in 68 percent fewer crashes than human drivers, researchers found. The sample was restricted to crashes that a person would typically report to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2024 study from the prominent reinsurance company, Swiss Re, found: \u201cThe Waymo Driver exhibited significantly better safety performance, with an 88 percent reduction in property damage claims and a 92 percent reduction in bodily injury claims compared to human-driven vehicles,\u201d per Reinsurance News<\/em>. That was based on 500,000 claims and 2 billion miles driven. There\u2019s always room for better accident tracking and closer monitoring of safety data, but these are pretty clear numbers that have been extensively reported by the news media. Yet public and legislative concerns remain.<\/p>\n

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The former stems largely from the strange nature of the new technology. It\u2019s odd seeing a car driving around without a driver. (The first trip in one is fascinating, but it quickly becomes routine.) The technology has had a few problems. For instance, there were reports of San Francisco Waymos blocking streets during a power outage \u2014 something the company has since addressed with updated software and new service protocols. The company also paused service in some cities following severe weather. But these are normal growing pains in any innovative industry.<\/p>\n

Legislators, however, are a different story. Many are allied with transportation unions, which see the technology as an existential threat to their workforce \u2014 especially if it expands to long-haul trucking. Some states are embracing laws that require a driver in them, which defeats the purpose of the technology \u2014 and won\u2019t protect many jobs, anyway.<\/p>\n

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had vetoed such a bill for large trucks in 2024. That year, a more troubling measure would have allowed local governments to individually regulate them. That could have seriously hobbled the industry, as it\u2019s difficult to navigate multiple laws given the number of individual cities in the state\u2019s major metros. It died. At the regulatory level, robotaxis also need permits and approval from the Department of Motor Vehicles, which last year gave Waymo the OK to begin driverless testing in additional cities.<\/p>\n

Beyond safety, the expansion of robotaxis provides another alternative for Californians to get around, which is always a plus. The breakup of the taxi cartel by these new technologies \u2014 first ride-sharing services (Uber and Lyft) and now Waymo and some of its potential competitors (Zoox and Tesla) \u2014offers more choice. Competition always is good for keeping down prices. I recently hailed a traditional taxi at an airport as drivers argued over who would take me \u2014 and it reminded me of how much this whole experience has improved thanks to these app-based technologies.<\/p>\n

But perhaps the most heartening thing, from someone who covers California\u2019s regulatory morass, is watching the state finally get its act together and approve a promising new technology. The process has taken some time and hasn\u2019t been without contention, but the latest approval still might offer valuable lessons for other California agencies.<\/p>\n

READ MORE from Steven Greenhut:<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Republicans Like These, Who Needs Democrats?<\/strong><\/p>\n

California Needs AI. So Why Is It Making Data Centers Harder to Build?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Circling Like Vultures: California Leads New Attack on Facebook<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steven Greenhut is Western region director for the R Street Institute. Write to him at [email\u00a0protected].<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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