San Francisco Residents Take Matters into Their Own Hands, Disabling Robotaxis with Traffic Cones

Safe streets activists in San Francisco are encouraging residents to disable Cruise and Waymo robotaxis by placing traffic cones on the vehicles' hoods as a form of protest against the spread of robotaxi services in the city. The protest comes ahead of a hearing where the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is expected to approve the expansion of both companies' autonomous vehicle passenger service deployments. Opponents have raised concerns about the vehicles blocking traffic and impeding emergency responders, while also expressing fears that robotaxis will eliminate the need for taxi and ride-hail drivers. Despite the protests, the CPUC is likely to approve the program authorization.