1001 Smart Cities

Permanent project revision

Waymo & Cruise Robotaxis: Permitted by the State, Not the City

Revision 2026-10-04-baseline-search · effective 2026-10-04

Current revision. This is the snapshot used by the live entity page.

unreviewed

Created the first structured Evidence Passport with 13 claims and 11 source dossiers.

sha256:ef791fd4fe538af1b8359468179eda22bff2b30b4b2460a6dc83636ef17e2617
All revisions → Current entity page →

Change set

  • add /evidencePassport — Added claim-level evidence mapping and source dossiers.
  • add /revisionHistory — Established a permanent, hash-addressed baseline revision.
13
of 13 claims mapped
11
source dossiers
8
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Claims, one by one

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-b584c0c66626ac27 descriptive
the DMV permits driverless testing and deployment
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The CPUC page states that its passenger programmes require the matching DMV testing or deployment permit.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CPUC — Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Service Programs (authority)
Claim 2 clm-d62340341fa87f77 descriptive
the CPUC permits carrying passengers for money
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The CPUC's own releases record it authorising fared driverless passenger service, first for Cruise in 2022 and for both companies at any hour in August 2023.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. CPUC — Approves permits for Cruise and Waymo to charge fares in San Francisco (10 Aug 2023)
  2. CPUC — First driverless AV passenger service deployment permit (2 June 2022)
Claim 3 clm-934bc91ff611f10a descriptive
The city protested, moved to stay and sought a rehearing
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The Court of Appeal recounts the January 2023 protest, the stay motion and the rehearing application; the transportation authority lists its stay and rehearing filings.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. California Court of Appeal — City and County of S.F. v. Public Utilities Com., A169262 (14 Jan 2025)
  2. San Francisco County Transportation Authority — Autonomous Vehicle Technology (city)
Claim 4 clm-883ff8b737c961f6 quantitative
the Court of Appeal upholding Waymo's permit in January 2025
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The published opinion of 14 January 2025 rejects San Francisco's challenge to Waymo's phase I driverless deployment permit.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. California Court of Appeal — City and County of S.F. v. Public Utilities Com., A169262 (14 Jan 2025)
Claim 5 clm-9c76ebc4de5bec57 quantitative
Cruise's driverless permits were suspended in October 2023
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The DMV's statement suspends Cruise's deployment and driverless testing permits, leaving testing with a safety driver untouched.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. California DMV — Statement on Cruise LLC suspension (24 Oct 2023)
Claim 6 clm-aeeba48a25790cce quantitative
GM stopped funding its robotaxi work in December 2024
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
GM's own announcement of 10 December 2024 ends funding for Cruise's robotaxi development and merges the teams into GM.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. General Motors — GM to refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles (10 Dec 2024)
Claim 7 clm-2c5e64c79d6c1eed descriptive
Waymo runs on
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Waymo's own figures report rider-only miles in the San Francisco Bay Area through June 2026.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Waymo — Safety Impact (operator)
Claim 8 clm-6988a675209a336f quantitative
since January 2026 also serves San Francisco International Airport under the airport's own approval
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The airport announced on 29 January 2026 that it had approved Waymo's passenger service, starting for select riders.
Caveat
Pickups and drop-offs started at the airport's Rental Car Center, not at the terminal curb.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. San Francisco International Airport — Waymo approved to begin passenger service at SFO (29 Jan 2026)
Claim 9 clm-f2c92813a5699f18 quantitative
San Francisco's protest, stay motion and rehearing request against the 2023 permits all failed
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The opinion records the protest, the stay motion and the denied rehearing application, and then rejects the city's petition.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. California Court of Appeal — City and County of S.F. v. Public Utilities Com., A169262 (14 Jan 2025)
Claim 11 clm-321db3095ead806b quantitative
City firefighters filed at least 31 reports of robotaxis obstructing emergency operations between April 2025 and July 2026
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The SF Standard counts the internal fire department reports; Waymo's answer is quoted alongside.
Caveat
Most reports describe delays of five minutes or less; Waymo says its cars interact with 50,000 emergency vehicles weekly in California without issue.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The San Francisco Standard — Waymo keeps blocking SF firefighters (10 July 2026)
Claim 12 clm-339ea67708b02893 descriptive
San Francisco collected the incident data
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The city's stay motion cited 59 incidents of driverless cars interfering with firefighters; the fire department kept logging reports into 2026.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. California Court of Appeal — City and County of S.F. v. Public Utilities Com., A169262 (14 Jan 2025)
  2. The San Francisco Standard — Waymo keeps blocking SF firefighters (10 July 2026)
Claim 13 clm-02f4797de6b671e6 descriptive
because the permits were never the city's to issue
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The city's transportation authority says it has no permitting role, and the senator chairing the state transport committee says no municipal power to regulate robotaxis exists.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. San Francisco County Transportation Authority — Autonomous Vehicle Technology (city)
  2. The San Francisco Standard — Sen. Dave Cortese on SB 1246 (22 July 2026)

Source dossiers and revision state

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-10-04-baseline-search effective 2026-10-04 · created 2026-10-04

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:ef791fd4fe538af1b8359468179eda22bff2b30b4b2460a6dc83636ef17e2617
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
13
of 13 claims mapped
11
source dossiers
8
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Waymo LLC; Cruise LLC until 2023. Permits issued by the California DMV (testing and deployment) and the CPUC (fared passenger service).
Actor types
private
Funding model
private
Funding description
Not recorded
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

11 source dossiers

CPUC — Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Service Programs (authority) cpuc.ca.gov · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b3eb5460565a368e
Publisher
Name not classified · cpuc.ca.gov
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Primary. Defines the four permit tiers (drivered/driverless pilot, drivered/driverless deployment) and states the CPUC permit is separate from and additional to the DMV's deployment permit. Waymo driverless pilot 18 Nov 2022; both deployment permits 10 Aug 2023.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CPUC — Approves permits for Cruise and Waymo to charge fares in San Francisco (10 Aug 2023) cpuc.ca.gov · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-97828611bd8575ea
Publisher
Name not classified · cpuc.ca.gov
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2023-08-10
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Primary, and the source for keeping the two companies apart: before the vote Cruise's fared driverless service was limited to parts of the city between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., while Waymo needed a safety driver for any fared ride. The approval let both charge fares at any hour.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
CPUC — First driverless AV passenger service deployment permit (2 June 2022) cpuc.ca.gov · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-23680a3142e11566
Publisher
Name not classified · cpuc.ca.gov
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2022-06-02
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Cruise's original paid driverless permit: 30 vehicles, select streets, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., 30 mph maximum, no shared rides. This, not the 2023 vote, is when paid driverless rides began in San Francisco.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
California DMV — Statement on Cruise LLC suspension (24 Oct 2023) dmv.ca.gov · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-26b29f0cb5ab2663
Publisher
Name not classified · dmv.ca.gov
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2023-10-24
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Primary suspension order. Suspends the deployment permit and the driverless testing permit; testing with a safety driver was not suspended. Cites 13 CCR 228.20(b)(6), 228.20(b)(3) (manufacturer misrepresented safety information), 227.42(b)(5) and 227.42(c). No set duration.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
California Court of Appeal — City and County of S.F. v. Public Utilities Com., A169262 (14 Jan 2025) courts.ca.gov · 5 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f68633f3b5765544
Publisher
Name not classified · courts.ca.gov
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-01-14
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Published First District opinion resolving the jurisdictional question. The court found no basis to conclude the Commission acted outside its authority or abused its discretion in issuing Waymo's phase I driverless deployment permit. San Francisco lost.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
San Francisco County Transportation Authority — Autonomous Vehicle Technology (city) sfcta.org · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-354e6fd194dc9b3f
Publisher
Name not classified · sfcta.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The city's own account of its position: San Francisco does not have a permitting role for AV passenger services. Lists its CPUC filings — the motion to stay of 16 August 2023, the September 2023 rehearing motion, joint SFMTA/SFCTA comments on AV data standards — and its later comments on the DMV's draft AV regulations through February 2026. The city testified it had logged almost 600 incidents with driverless vehicles between June 2022 and June 2023; that figure is city testimony and is not used here as an impact number.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Waymo — Safety Impact (operator) waymo.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-ad6e60800f0a10b7
Publisher
Name not classified · waymo.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Operator-reported scale: 82.4 million rider-only miles in the San Francisco Bay Area through June 2026. Its crash-reduction studies are peer-reviewed in Traffic Injury Prevention but authored by Waymo employees against a Waymo-constructed human baseline, so they are cited here as operator evidence, not independent evaluation, and no safety-superiority claim enters this entry.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
The San Francisco Standard — Waymo keeps blocking SF firefighters (10 July 2026) sfstandard.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f58e19f09685c0bb
Publisher
Name not classified · sfstandard.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-07-10
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Counterweight and currency. At least 31 internal SFFD reports of robotaxis obstructing emergency operations since April 2025. Carries Waymo's response that its cars interact with 50,000 emergency vehicles weekly in California without issue.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
The San Francisco Standard — Sen. Dave Cortese on SB 1246 (22 July 2026) sfstandard.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-08320eb92719d297
Publisher
Name not classified · sfstandard.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-07-22
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Confirms the authority gap persists in 2026: 'There's no municipal or county ability legally to regulate robotaxis at all.' His earlier SB 915, which would have required local authorization, died in the Assembly Transportation Committee. SB 1246 proposes state fines of 5,000 to 10,000 dollars for stalled vehicles blocking responders.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
General Motors — GM to refocus autonomous driving development on personal vehicles (10 Dec 2024) news.gm.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-1ea37e9f680a5e2a
Publisher
Name not classified · news.gm.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-12-10
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

GM's announcement that it will no longer fund Cruise's robotaxi development and will combine Cruise and GM technical teams to focus on driver assistance and personal autonomous vehicles.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
San Francisco International Airport — Waymo approved to begin passenger service at SFO (29 Jan 2026) flysfo.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-982f0c6d5e3a6020
Publisher
Name not classified · flysfo.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-01-29
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-04
Dossier created
2026-10-04
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The airport approved Waymo's fully autonomous ride service to and from SFO as the final phase of a pilot launched in September 2025; service began for select riders, with pickups at the Rental Car Center.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.