California Moves Closer to Driverless Taxi Services
California’s public utilities commission has proposed regulations that would allow services to use driverless shuttles to pick up and deliver passengers.
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California’s public utilities commission has proposed regulations that would allow services to use driverless shuttles to pick up and deliver passengers.
The commission, which regulates transportation companies in the state, plans to vote on the plan in May, Reuters reports. Last Friday, California’s Dept. of Motor Vehicles began to allow developers to conduct tests on public roads of robotic cars without backup drivers on board.
The utilities commission regulations would require a company to have a permit to test such vehicles for at least 90 days before being allowed to pick up passengers. The shuttle service must then be free, not operate to or from airports and accept only riders that are at least 18 years old.
Reuters says participating services also will be obliged to report how many miles their automated vehicles travel, how many rides they complete and the number of disabled passengers they carry.
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