SF Chronicle – A California bill seeks to make robotaxis safer. AV companies say it could ‘ban’ the industry
See original article by Rachel Swan at the SF Chronicle
A Silicon Valley lawmaker is pushing a bill that would require robotaxis to hire local human operators for emergency situations like the blackouts that paralyzed Waymo vehicles in San Francisco last winter.
State Sen. David Cortese, D-San Jose, described Senate Bill 1246 as an essential safety measure so that companies can react more quickly when stoplights are out or roads are blocked, ensuring they do not block the path of emergency vehicles.
“Unfortunately, reports of AVs obstructing traffic, competing with first responders, and driving through active law enforcement activities continue to abound,” Cortese said, introducing the bill at a Senate Transportation Committee hearing on Tuesday. He noted that humans can address “ambiguous situations” in real time, provided the employees are based nearby: Two months ago, Waymo’s chief safety officer sparked outrage by acknowledging that the autonomous vehicle company relies on remote assistants in the Philippines.
Cortese’s bill would require Waymo and its competitors to bolster their labor forces with remote drivers and assistants who are based in the U.S. and licensed to drive in California. Additionally, SB1246 calls for one human assigned to every three vehicles — enough, Cortese said, for Waymo to respond immediately. Under the bill, a trained autonomous vehicle worker would have to arrive to a scene within 10 minutes, if summoned. Finally, every robotaxi would contain a “manual override option,” enabling public safety officers to immobilize the car. (The self-driving cars already have similar capabilities.)
Although Cortese drew support from fellow members of the transportation committee, who voted 7-2 to move SB1246 forward, representatives of Waymo and other AV companies fought back.
Sarah Boot, an industry lobbyist, noted that California has already passed regulations that compel the companies to “continuously monitor each AV.” Starting in July, human workers must answer calls from emergency personnel within 30 seconds and move a vehicle, if directed, within two minutes or risk a report to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
“We should not layer on a second overlapping system before the first one is even implemented,” Boot said at the transportation committee hearing. “Especially after the companies have spent the last two years building up their compliance programs to meet these new requirements.”
Boot then pointed to a “three strikes you’re out” rule baked into SB1246, to halt business for companies who violate the new mandates. She views the legislation as so punitive, “it could act like a de facto ban” on the state’s burgeoning AV market.
Among the bill’s skeptics was state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. He praised parts of SB1246, such as the provision to keep workers in the cities where robotaxis operate. But he said other parts of the legislation were too rigid, including the 10-minute rule for dispatching assistants.
“I wish I could get around San Francisco in ten minutes,” Wiener said at the hearing. “I can’t.” He abstained from voting on Tuesday and said he would consider backing it on the Senate floor.
Labor leaders who have rallied behind SB1246 say it would prevent many of the mishaps that robotaxis cause today, like parking on top of fire hoses or blocking station exits, according to Meagan Subers, a lobbyist for the California Professional Firefighters union.
Given the rapid expansion of the robotaxi market, now is an opportune time to get ahead of these problems, Cortese said. While Waymo leads the industry with 3,000 vehicles in its fleet nationwide, 30 other companies have permit applications in the pipeline.
See original article by Rachel Swan at the SF Chronicle
