BVA recently supported Waymo’s efforts to operate in the City of San Francisco. The service is a fully autonomous ride-hailing operation enabling people with disabilities to move more freely and less expensively than they would using other ride-hailing services. The vehicles are fully capable of self-driving without a driver present and have logged more than a million miles without a single accident-related death, injury, or at-fault accident.
One week ago, the night before BVA Happenings was primed for distribution and just a few days before the opening of the 78th National Convention, the California Public Utilities Commission voted 3-1 after a six-hour hearing to allow Waymo to operate its driverless vehicles in San Francisco at any hour of the day throughout the city of San Francisco. The win is a huge one for both Waymo and the vast amount of funding that has gone into developing the technology in recent years.
Prior to the vote, citizens were able to express their opinion and leave a comment. BVA prepared a letter for BVA Happenings readers to send to the CPUC, advocating that Waymo be granted a permit to operate in San Francisco. The Association also joined other disability advocacy groups in signing an open letter penned to the CPUC expressing approval for the restrictions to be lifted.
Earlier this week, Waymo expressed thanks for the BVA effort as follows:
On behalf of the entire Waymo team, we want to take a moment to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering advocacy these last few weeks and months as we work together to make our community safer and more accessible. Your generosity of time and tireless support have made a true impact and we are so fortunate to partner with you.
Your dedication to serving our country’s servicemembers is inspiring, and your efforts have undoubtedly played a crucial role in raising awareness and fostering understanding about the transformative benefits of autonomous driving technology. Thank you for being a steadfast advocate, a beacon of insight and a driving force behind positive change in the community.
Once again, thank you for your invaluable contributions throughout this lengthy permit process. We are excited to continue collaborating in more fun and powerful ways!
Amanda, Heather, Rachel, Suz, Stefania and the rest of the Waymo team ❤️
