Driverless robotic taxis have been approved in California

California has been in the headlines over the past hours in the United States. This weekend, regulators in that US state approved the use of driverless robotic taxis.

The authorization went directly to Waymo and Cruise. Going forward, both companies could operate these vehicles 24 hours a day in San Francisco. Undoubtedly, the good news will benefit millions of people in that region of the American West. It is a new forward-looking proposal that is already very popular among customers.

The California authorities’ decision is a door to expanding autonomous vehicle technology. According to a newspaper article Washington PostMany giant companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple are already investing in new related software.

decision under protest

The final decision was made by the California Public Utilities Commission. It is responsible for regulating services such as electricity and transportation in that state.

However, approval emerged despite opposition from local authorities. In fact, those who oppose this agreement can request a review of the permits granted to the two companies mentioned. The vote was very close, as expected. In fact, it lasted seven hours and was decided by two votes to one.

Waymo, which belongs to Alphabet (which owns Google), and Cruise are the two largest companies currently testing their own autonomous taxis. On the streets of San Francisco there are more than a dozen analogues operating this type of vehicle.

But not everything is rosy. Many citizens have complained about the presence of these driverless cars in the city streets. They have on several occasions caused traffic jams and accidents.