Using the example of a recent BVA advocacy effort on behalf of Waymo’s driverless vehicle service, Deputy Director of Government Relations Alek Libbin elaborates on the potential influence individual BVA members can exert on a public policy decision.

In a July message for BVA Happenings, I referenced Waymo’s efforts to gain approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to operate in San Francisco. I mentioned the frequently understated importance of local and state politics and the impact, even more often overlooked, that individual citizens can have in the process. Grassroots efforts are the heart of any policy or political effort as it is the voice of everyday people that affects the policy making process. 

In that same message and on BVA’s behalf, I asked our membership to follow a link and join a OneClick campaign. OneClick is a key to this grassroots effort and can have a significant effect on organizations and members of Congress. Our support efforts in this case were successful! Average citizens like you indeed affected the CPUC through OneClick. This is evident by the CPUC voting 3-to-1 to grant Waymo’s permit to operate in the city any time of day.

This is an important step to ensuring access for the blind and low vision, those with paralysis and loss of limb, and those with a host of other disabilities. The right of free movement is paramount for everyone, and this vote further advances equal access for all within our society. Because California is known as an experimental state in implementing policy, I expect this to be the first of many states authorizing autonomous vehicles to operate despite the murkiness of some of the timelines. We applaud the CPUC and Waymo for taking an important step in ensuring ease of access for all.