San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu is formally asking state regulators to vote again on whether Cruise and Waymo can operate without restrictions in The City.
Chiu filed two formal requests to the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday asking for a re-vote on resolutions allowing the two autonomous vehicle companies to expand their paid-passenger services. Last month, the CPUC voted 3-1 in favor of the resolutions.
Writing on behalf of The City’s transportation and planning agencies, Chiu said the state regulatory decision should be reheard because the commission hastily approved technology through an “inadequate” review process, didn’t impose any regulations to “promote passenger and public safety,” and failed to comply with federal environmental law.
“Since the CPUC’s decision to allow unfettered expansion of AVs for commercial passenger service in San Francisco, AVs have continued to present safety risks and interfere with first responders,” Chiu said in a statement. “The CPUC utilized a flawed approval process and ignored the public safety hazards and potential environmental impacts of AVs, and they should reconsider their decision. AV technology has a place in San Francisco, but we’re concerned it is not yet capable of safely operating in our complex transportation environment.”
Chiu’s motions comprise the second set The City has filed in response to the CPUC’s vote. The first request came a week after the commission’s decision, when Chiu asked the CPUC to pause Cruise and Waymo’s imminent expansion. The agency hasn’t responded to either of the two requests, nor is it required to. The CPUC will vote on the application for a rehearing in a closed session, a spokesperson for the agency told The Examiner.
Cruise and Waymo struck the same tone this week as they did last month.
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Cruise spokesperson Hannah Lindow told The Examiner it’s “unfortunate to see The City use public resources to bypass that decision and restrict a technology with an excellent safety record used by tens of thousands of SF residents.”
Waymo spokesperson Julia Illina said the company will “follow this development closely.”
“In the meantime, we will continue to work with the city of San Francisco in constructive ways while providing safe and accessible mobility to San Franciscans,” she said.
The CPUC’s decision prompted scathing backlash from city leaders, the majority of whom have fervently opposed autonomous vehicles’ rapid spread since they arrived in The City. Their concerns center around a plethora of high-profile instances, including several after the CPUC’s vote, in which robotaxis stopped in the middle of San Francisco streets. First responders have said some of the incidents impeded them en route to emergencies.
Less than a week after Cruise was cleared to expand, the California Department of Motor Vehicles ordered the company to halve its fleet while the agency investigated “concerning incidents” involving its vehicles in San Francisco. Cruise, which agreed to the reduction, has no more than 50 and 150 robotaxis during the day and night, respectively, roaming San Francisco streets during the investigation.
