In response, Cruise explained that its robotaxi identified the emergency vehicle and its sirens, but it had difficulty predicting the fire truck’s path as it moved into the oncoming lane of traffic to bypass a red light. Cruise’s autonomous vehicle hit the brakes to reduce speed but could not completely avoid the collision due to the conditions.
These incidents occurred shortly after the California Public Utilities Commission voted in favor of allowing Cruise and Waymo to charge fares for fully driverless rides at any time of the day in San Francisco. Previously, such rides were only allowed without a safety driver onboard in limited areas of the city between 10 PM and 6 AM. A commissioner who voted against the expansion expressed concerns about the impact on first responders and the need for further evaluation.
