The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has authorized two companies, Waymo and Cruise, to offer autonomous vehicle (AV) passenger services in the state. AVs refer to driverless vehicles.
Earlier, the companies were permitted to provide passenger services under the Drivered Pilot program. This allowed Waymo and Cruise to carry out testing of their AV service but with prohibitions on ride-sharing and collection of fares. According to the new authorization issued on Feb. 28, the CPUC granted Drivered Deployment permits to Waymo and Cruise. This allows the companies to offer shared rides while collecting fares from passengers.
