A week after California approved the 24-hour, paid Robotaxi service in San Francisco, an accident occurred between an autonomous cruise taxi and a fire engine.
A cruise robotic taxi in San Francisco collided with a fire truck from the San Francisco Fire Department late Thursday evening, US media reports. A passenger of the robot taxi suffered minor injuries and was taken away by ambulance, according to official company reports.
As confirmed by Cruise, the vehicle was in autonomous mode at the time of the accident. The traffic light was green, the car drove off and probably overlooked the emergency vehicle. Whether that had anything to do with the darkness remains to be seen. The accident happened around 10 p.m. Cruise promised clarification.
The accident happened less than a week after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) allowed 24-hour commercial robotaxi services in San Francisco. This also took place under criticism from the city and other groups. Some fear job losses, others worry about road safety.
The fire truck accidents in particular are well known at Tesla. The city’s fire chief, Jeanine Nicholson, says the vehicles are not yet ready for regular use. We know of 66 incidents involving robotic taxis since May 2022.
Since Cruise began testing in San Francisco, its vehicles have had the traffic obstructed, including a situation where 10 autonomous vehicles blocked traffic at a busy intersection during a music festival. There have been cases where cars in cordoned off areas lead. Apparently, a cruise vehicle drove into fresh concrete and got stuck.