Waymo, the self-driving tech development unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet, has received permission from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to launch commercial driverless robotaxi services in Los Angeles (LA), the San Francisco Peninsula, and San Francisco freeways.

The company already has a waitlist of about 50,000 people looking to use the service in Los Angeles.

The approval followed a review period extended by the CPUC for additional evaluations, but it coincides with positive feedback on the service's integration into daily life. However, the CPUC has also received protests from parties such as the city of South San Francisco, the county of San Mateo (another country Waymo plans to expand operations to), the LA Department of Transportation, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, and the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance.

Analyst QuickTake: Previously, Waymo was permitted to offer only free driverless rides in parts of LA and had been operating a paid driverless robototaxi service in San Francisco 24/7 since August 2023. This approval marks a significant milestone for Waymo, especially as other companies like General Motors and Apple have scaled back or exited their autonomous vehicle projects in California, contrasting with Waymo's ongoing advancement in the region.