Opponents of robot taxis in San Francisco declare war on drones

A decentralised group of safer streets activists in San Francisco have begun 'turning off' Cruise and Waymo robot taxis by installing traffic cones on the bonnets of cars.

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The activists have called the action "Week of Cone" and called on the city's residents to join in. The protest comes ahead of a hearing, after which Waymo and Cruise will likely be able to expand their robot taxi services in San Francisco.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will meet on 13 July, at which it could allow robotaxi operators to charge for carrying passengers. In May, the agency released draft ordinances approving the expansion of Waymo and Cruise, despite growing opposition from city officials and residents.

Opponents pointed to a number of unmanned taxis that interfered with car traffic, public transport and emergency services. They asked the CPUC to proceed with caution, organise seminars, collect more data, ban robot taxis from the city centre and during peak hours, and limit the expansion of the fleet.

The San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance and the Alliance for Independent Workers protested against the proliferation of drones, which they said could put them out of work.

Source: TechCrunch.