Waymo to start charging money for its robotaxi rides in San Francisco

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The green light was given to start charging for rides in its taxis in San Francisco. The company was granted a permit by the California Public Utilities Commission that allows them to charge for rides if there is a human safety driver behind the wheel.

In order to start earning money from their vehicles, companies need to obtain a number of permits. The Department of Motor Vehicles oversees test permits, while the CPUC decides when companies can start businesses. The permit obtained by the company is one of the last steps needed before the company can launch a full-scale business. The company will need a permit to charge for rides in its vehicles.

In a statement, the company said it would start charging for rides within the next few weeks. These are people who are not employees of the company who sign non-disclosure agreements before riding in the company's vehicles. Hundreds of people are involved in the trusted tester program.

Nicholas Smith wrote in an email that the vehicles will be available. Cruise has a permit to provide rides to members of the public in its fully driverless vehicles in San Francisco, but only at night.

At least a hundred vehicles are being tested in and around San Francisco and Mountain View. The company had more miles driven than any other company in the state last year, with 2.3 million, a huge increase over the previous year, when it had 629,000.

The Bay Area is still in the early stages of commercializing its service. In the month of January, Waymo provided rides to 1,503 passengers.

There have been some notable moments, such as the dead-end road in theRichmond district that seemed to flummox the company's vehicles. A person was struck by a vehicle in manual mode. Police said the injuries were not life threatening. The company obtained an injunction to keep some of the safety information secret.