Waymo’s application to expand its robotaxi service in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties has been suspended for 120 days by the California Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division (CPED).
The ruling does not change Waymo’s ability to operate commercial driverless vehicles in San Francisco. However, it put an abrupt halt to the company’s ambitions to expand where it can operate — at least until June 2024.
CPED said on her website that the application has been suspended for further personnel review. “Suspension” of an advisory letter is a procedural part of the CPUC’s standard and robust review process, according to Waymo.
A CPUC spokesperson told TechCrunch in an email that “Waymo’s Advisory Letter has been put on hold pending our staff’s review. Such a suspension is not an unusual practice.”
However, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman David J. Canepa took a different stance.
“Since Waymo has stopped any meaningful discussions about its expansion plans in Silicon Valley, the CPUC has put the brakes on its application to test the robotaxi service virtually unlimited in both San Mateo and Los Angeles counties,” Canepa said. . “This will provide an opportunity for the autonomous vehicle manufacturer to fully engage with our very real public safety concerns that have caused all kinds of dangerous situations for firefighters and police in neighboring San Francisco.”
Waymo noted it has reached out to two dozen government and business organizations as part of the outreach effort, including officials in cities across San Mateo County, including Burlingame, Daly City and Foster City, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and local commercial chambers.
Waymo operates a commercial service 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout San Francisco. Waymo is also allowed to offer people free self-driving rides in parts of Los Angeles. The company began testing the robot ride with employees in Santa Monica around March 2023 and has since opened it up to some members of the public, but still can’t charge for those rides.
The company filed a document in January with the commission’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division seeking review and approval of its updated safety plan and expansion of its “operational design domain (ODD),” an industry term meaning where its driverless vehicles can operate . Waymo is seeking approval to expand operations into parts of the Los Angeles area and additional areas of the San Francisco Peninsula, specifically San Mateo County. This expansion is particularly important because it will include access to San Francisco International Airport.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which also regulates the testing and development of autonomous vehicles, approved the expanded ODD in January. The city of South San Francisco, the Los Angeles County Department of Transportation, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office and the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance have sent letters opposing the expansion.
