San Francisco Clears Waymo & Cruise to Operate Paid 24/7 Autonomous Ride-Hailing Services

The city of San Francisco has approved the operation of robotaxis around the clock. Currently Waymo and GM's Cruise offer limited services in the city.

Google-backed Waymo has now received its driverless deployment permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the final step in a process with regulators before it could offer a paid fully autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco.

It will now begin charging fares for rider-only trips in the city.

Waymo One is a public, fully autonomous ride-hailing service. 

Waymo One is already serving over 10,000 rides every week to members of the public — with no human behind the wheel — across both San Francisco and Phoenix. 

Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, says: “Today’s permit marks the true beginning of our commercial operations in San Francisco. We’re incredibly grateful for this vote of confidence from the CPUC, and to the communities and riders who have supported our service. We can’t wait for more San Franciscans to experience the mobility, safety, sustainability and accessibility benefits of full autonomy for themselves — all at the touch of a button.”

Kurt Vogt, CEO and Co-founder at Cruise, comments: "It’s a huge milestone for the AV industry, but even more importantly a signal to the country that CA prioritizes progress over our tragic status quo. We share the CPUC’s commitment to delivering safer, cleaner and more accessible transportation options, and remain committed to collaborating closely with regulators to push toward this critical goal."

Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building the Waymo Driver to improve everyone’s access to mobility.