Associated Press reporter Michael Liedtke gets into a Waymo driverless taxi for a test ride in San Francisco, on Feb. 15, 2023. | Terry Chea/AP PhotoThe California Public Utilities Commission voted on Thursday to let self-driving cars transport paying customers around San Francisco, overriding vociferous local and labor opposition in a preview of larger battles over technology that could reshape cities and workforces.
Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma cited those concerns in urging against what she called a “premature” green light. Supporters and foes testified for more than six hours on Thursday. Critics warned the technology would sacrifice jobs and still posed too many hazards, with many of them telling anecdotes of the cars foundering on city streets. While the companies brandished statistics showing driverless cars get into fewer accidents than human drivers, San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson cited more than 50 reported instances of interference this year to argue the technology was not ready for wider use.
“Not only do our members share the roads with Robotaxis, but the technology can be deployed to map, replicate, and then eliminate traditional package delivery,” Western Region Vice President Peter Finn said in a text message. “This is an existential threat to hundreds of thousands of good middle class jobs across California communities. ”
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