Self-driving taxi expansion - Streaming gets pricier - US-Iran prisoner deal

Source: Reuters via Yahoo! News

1. Summary
   The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday voted 3-1 to allow the expansion of autonomous taxi services in San Francisco. Cruise and Waymo both currently offer limited paid services in the city: Cruise charges for driverless rides at night, while Waymo operates during the day but has a human safety operator present.
   
   The vote means both services will be able to operate in the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can expand their fleets significantly. The companies say they will proceed incrementally, but analysts say that given their hefty research costs, they need to quickly scale up operations in San Francisco to get a return on their investments. Observers say the expansion will mark the first major urban experiment with autonomous vehicles.
   
   Local opposition had been mounting in the run-up to the vote, with various concerns relating to safety, worsening traffic, potential job loss, and accommodations for blind passengers. The CPUC's mandate is only to assess safety, and it concluded the expansion will not increase safety risks.

   Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
   Cruise and Waymo win robotaxi expansions in San Francisco.
   TechCrunch (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 73% • 4 min read
   

1. Different political viewpoint
   America's most tech-forward city has doubts about self-driving cars.
   Wall Street Journal (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 73% • 8 min read

1. Selected long-read
   Why San Francisco's public agencies want a slower rollout of driverless taxis.
   Governing Magazine (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 76% • 5 min read

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