San Francisco Mayor Backs National Robotaxi Rules After Waymo Meltdowns

SAN FRANCISCO — The City by the Bay is taking its robotaxi worries to Washington after a series of Waymo meltdowns disrupted traffic and prompted some in the tech-industry town to start to sour on the self-driving cars they once embraced.

Mayor Daniel Lurie will on Tuesday publicly back a proposal in Congress to reel in any unruly, autonomous vehicles — not just Waymos — especially during their run-ins with first responders, POLITICO’s California Decoded newsletter was first to report.

The bill is authored by Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) — who represents areas south of San Francisco headed toward Silicon Valley — and also has the support of San Francisco transit and public safety officials.

The move is a notable step for Lurie, who came into office trumpeting tech company successes in the city, like Waymo’s spread, as a way to boost San Francisco’s economy and image.

“This legislation will help keep San Franciscans safe while taking the lessons we’ve learned to the rest of the country,” Lurie said in a statement.

Mullin’s bill comes as Waymo has expanded its passenger service in recent years from San Francisco to Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta and elsewhere. The service has proven popular among riders and the company has touted figures suggesting the autonomous taxis have a better safety record than human drivers.

But despite those stats, recent traffic incidents have piled public pressure on Lurie and local authorities, who don’t have the power to regulate the autonomous fleet, to call for increased oversight.

Amid July 4 festivities this year, dozens of Waymos completely stopped and blocked traffic in San Francisco, leading to gridlock for cars, buses and thousands of fireworks viewers, though transportation officials said insufficient planning was also to blame.

Last December, Waymos stalled throughout the city during a major power outage that knocked out many of the city’s traffic signals. The incident prompted public scrutiny and a city hearing.

Waymo has previously said that it would continue to work with San Francisco and shares the city’s goals of providing safe and accessible transportation.

Lurie has largely embraced the tech industry since taking office last year and Waymo in particular, offering them access to the city’s main commercial artery, Market Street, plus negotiating a deal with unionized drivers to get the bots running to the airport ahead of the Super Bowl this year.

But since then, Waymo has pulled its cars from freeways temporarily over performance concerns, and has been unable to take advantage of access to Market amid complaints from other ride-hailing drivers and organized labor.

The relationship has become choppier more recently. Lurie sent a letter to California state regulators that referenced the Waymo malfunctions, asking them to tackle the risks posed by AVs — echoing some of the requirements that Mullin’s new measure would put into law.

Mullin’s legislation would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, to establish minimum safety standards and protocols for how AV operators work with local public safety personnel.

It would require AV companies to provide standardized emergency response protocols for first responders and create a 24-hour hotline for officials to communicate directly with AV companies during autonomous vehicle incidents.

It would also direct NHTSA to establish a way for public officials to issue notices that digitally fence off certain areas for self-driven cars during an emergency.

Mullin said in a statement that while the Bay Area led the country in AV innovation, “recent disruptions like widespread power outages or the holiday traffic fiasco on Fourth of July in San Francisco, have shown how malfunctions can hamper emergency response.”

A version of this story first appeared in California Decoded, POLITICO’s morning newsletter for Pros about how the Golden State is shaping tech policy within its borders and beyond. Like this content? POLITICO Pro subscribers receive it daily. Learn more at www.politicopro.com.