In April, regulators in California said self-driving car tests without safety drivers would be allowed.
Recently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has green-lit two pilot programs, one that provides the service with a safety driver behind the wheel and one without it. In the case of the second one, the status and operation of the car is to be monitored remotely at all times.
Because it’s just a test run for now, the companies are not allowed to charge the passengers for any of the rides. We don’t know which companies will offer these rides first or how the rides will be operated.
Liane M. Randolph, CPUC commisioner, has said that she was “pleased to launch these pilot programs as part of the evolution of the passenger transportation system in California. Our state is home to world-class innovative companies and I look forward to these services being offered with the high level of safety that we expect from our passenger service providers.”
Allowing people to go on rides in driverless cars will hopefully help strengthen their trust in the ability of the machines, as the recent Uber accident is still fresh in their memory.
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