Los Angeles demands robotaxi rulemaking powers
Mayor Karen Bass says Los Angeles  not a state agency  should have the power to decide how robotaxi companies expand in the city.
Mayor Karen Bass says Los Angeles  not a state agency  should have the power to decide how robotaxi companies expand in the city.
As Waymo expands its operations in the city, Bass sent an open letter to the Public Utilities Commission, which regulates commercial robotaxi operations in California, arguing that Los Angeles should hold that ultimate authority. In the letter, Bass said the city is “equipped with the tools to effectively regulate AV service within its jurisdiction” and that LA “should determine the requirements for future deployment.”
The mayor isn’t exactly in step with certain , and before doing so, it did not operate vehicles in LA without a human behind the wheel, a Cruise spokesperson told TechCrunch.)
Still, the mayor argues that Los Angeles faces an “exponentially greater” risk from “unrestricted AV deployment,” by nature of the city’s larger population and size.
Mayor Karen Bass says Los Angeles  not a state agency  should have the power to decide how robotaxi companies expand in the city.
Bass said LA is “equipped with the tools” to oversee AVs, yet some LA city councilmembers aren’t clear on how to do so. Transportation Committee officials called for more transparency around AV data on Wednesday, to inform future actions by councilmembers. During the session, the committee advanced two AV motions, one of which asked for a report on the city’s “existing authority to regulate such use” of AVs. The other motion requested LA’s city attorney to join safety study commissioned by the company. Forghani also noted that Cruise recently updated how its AVs respond to emergency vehicles.
Waymo spokesperson Christopher Bonelli said the company is “disappointed in the mayor’s decision to oppose the deployment of autonomous vehicles in Los Angeles.” Bonelli added that Waymo does not “believe the letter is an accurate representation of Waymo and our experience.” While expressing disappointment, the spokesperson indicated that Waymo would still continue expanding in LA.
It’s worth noting that Waymo might also be getting ahead of itself here; the LA mayor’s letter did not specify the degree to which she would like to see robotaxis reigned in.
Mayor Bass did not cite the , about regulating robotaxi expansion.
Correction: Waymo did not expand its LA operations on November 1. It started its LA county expansion on October 12, in Santa Monica.
Based on reporting by techcrunch.com.