EVwire brief: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is calling for tougher statewide regulations on autonomous vehicles, saying robotaxi operators should prove they can handle major emergencies before expanding deployment.
In a letter sent Wednesday to California transportation regulators, Lurie proposed new operational standards requiring autonomous vehicle companies to demonstrate their ability to respond to large public events, emergencies and other major disruptions before launching or expanding driverless services.
"California's challenge now is not just whether autonomous vehicles can operate safely under normal conditions, but also whether they can perform reliably during extraordinary ones.
“Prove it before you deploy it. Before deploying autonomous vehicles, autonomous vehicle operators must demonstrate major event operational readiness through testing and exercises."
Waymo’s shutdowns during the Fourth of July celebrations is exhibit A in the mayor’s letter.
Under the proposal, autonomous vehicle operators would be expected to demonstrate they can quickly remove disabled vehicles from active traffic lanes, reroute services during emergencies, share real-time operational data with local agencies and prove through testing that their systems can withstand periods of unusually heavy traffic and demand.
Lurie’s letter described two recent incidents in San Francisco. The first occurred during the city's July 4 fireworks celebration, when numerous Waymo robotaxis became stranded in heavy traffic near the waterfront, contributing to gridlock that delayed thousands of people and municipal shuttle buses. He also cited a citywide power outage in December 2025 that left Waymo vehicles immobilized and disrupted transportation across the city.
Waymo highlighted that it was able to support high-profile events in the city like the World Cup.
Waymo told Business Insider it shares the city's goal of providing safe and reliable transportation and said it will continue working with local agencies as it expands its service. The spokesperson also stated that Waymo’s fleet has successfully supported high-traffic events such as the FIFA World Cup.
"The City and Waymo share a mutual goal of providing safe and accessible transportation for visitors and residents alike. We will continue to partner with the City's agencies, collaborating with them on the learnings based on the millions of rides we have provided in San Francisco."
Waymo is still busy expanding its services, with the company currently deploying its Ojai robotaxi.
Context:
Lurie wasn't always this critical. Previously, he'd publicly championed Waymo's robotaxis as "safe and sustainable." A letter demanding operators prove their readiness before deploying is a real shift in tone.
None of this is slowing Waymo down elsewhere. The company just went fully driverless in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego, and Tampa next in line, and it's rolling out its Zeekr-built Ojai robotaxi to public riders in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
Source: Business Insider
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