San Francisco's Future: Robotaxis on the Rise

General Motors' subsidiary Cruise and Google's spinoff Waymo are seeking regulatory approval to operate their driverless ride-hailing services in San Francisco, which would make it the first US city with two totally driverless services competing against Uber, Lyft and traditional taxis. However, both companies must navigate potential roadblocks, including complaints about their vehicles making unexpected, traffic-clogging stops that threaten to inconvenience other travelers and imperil public safety. Cruise and Waymo have already covered more than 1 million miles without a major accident, but their robotaxis have also experienced nagging problems in San Francisco that have caused traffic headaches and other nuisances.