Green Light for Ride-Hailing Services in San Francisco

In good news for ride-hailing services and the growing number of people who use them, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) this week agreed to continue a pilot project that had opened large stretches of Market Street to the services. The authority also signaled that it will likely expand the hours of operation to 24 hours, possibly as soon as Dec. 15. Bay Area Council member companies Waymo, Uber and Lyft are participating in the pilot project.

The Council has been a leading advocate for expanding autonomous vehicle operations and other advanced transportation solutions around the region, and we helped to secure the expansion of Waymo service to San José and surrounding South Bay communities this year. A commentary in the New York Times this week highlighted the public health benefits of self-driving technologies like those employed by Waymo to reduce automobile accidents and the many deaths and injuries that they cause. In the piece, author Dr. Jonathan Slotkin notes that “if 30 percent of cars were fully automated, it might prevent 40 percent of crashes, as autonomous vehicles both avoid causing crashes and respond better when human drivers err.”

The Council has also emerged as a regional leader in promoting the integration of innovative transportation technologies into the public transportation system to better serve residents, as detailed in the forthcoming Future of Transportation Study which is scheduled for release by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute in January. To engage in the Council’s advanced transportation policy work, please contact Senior Vice President Emily Loper.