Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet, has scored a permit with the California Public Utilities Commission that allows it to charge riders for ride-hailing trips in its autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. A human safety operator must be present, though, per the permit’s stipulations.
Securing this permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is one of the company’s final steps on the road to commercializing AVs in San Francisco. Last September, the California Department of Motor Vehicles granted Waymo a drivered deployment permit in the city, which allowed the company to receive compensation for services provided by an AV.
The permit did not allow Waymo to charge specifically for robotaxi services, but the company was able to earn revenue from autonomous delivery …
