San Mateo County has worries on robotaxis

But county officials have raised concern, particularly around the lack of input they have been able to provide throughout the process and especially in light of traffic and emergency situations the vehicles have caused or exacerbated in San Francisco. During the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, Feb. 13, Supervisor David Canepa introduced a resolution supporting Senate Bill 915, introduced by state Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, which would allow jurisdictions to pass ordinances regulating the robotaxis. 

“I want to make it clear I’m not opposed to this technology. Driverless vehicles will likely be a big part of all of our futures. I’m just advocating for local control because it’s the people living and working in their own communities who know the roads best. That’s why I’m asking for support for SB 915,” Canepa said.

Patrick Gilster, director of planning and fund management at the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, said the team has worked with the community and a variety of local agencies to better understand what is under the county’s control, as well as gather feedback about the cars. He said the biggest concern is public safety, followed by local jurisdictions’ need to better understand what the liability implications could be. Kaki Cheung, deputy director of the City and County Association of Governments, also said that seeing what’s unfolded in San Francisco — including an October incident in which a San Francisco woman was pinned down by one of Cruise’s driverless taxis during a hit-and-run — have left county residents skeptical. 

“The interactions with emergency responders does seem to be an area of concern, and our local partners are wanting to make sure that there is coordination with emergency responders to be able to leverage some of the lessons learned in San Francisco and ensure a much smoother kind of partnership here in San Mateo County,” Cheung said. 

Supervisor Ray Mueller noted the company doesn’t plan to expand into his district, which includes large swaths of the county’s rural land, but noted that was a corporate decision and not one based on community concern. He said he thinks decisions should be made more locally.

But there are also opportunities to improve transit access, especially in an area that is more suburban than San Francisco, making transit connections more difficult for many residents. 

“In our county, we’re more spread apart, and I do see that autonomous vehicles present opportunities for those who may want to try out the lifestyle of not owning a vehicle, but relying on public transit and AV to be able to get around,” Cheung said. “AV really could be a game changer providing that first and last mile connection to transit.”

The Public Utilities Commission staff has until Feb. 20 to move forward on the advice letter Waymo submitted, which can be subject to further review and discussion depending on whether the issue is escalated to the commissioners. 

Sierra Lopez contributed to this report.