Robotaxi breakdowns cause mayhem in San Francisco days after expansion vote

Public utilities commission had allowed Google's Waymo and General Motors' Cruise to operate all day in a vote on Thursday

After months of debate, the California Public Utilities Commission voted Thursday to approve an expansion that allows vehicles on the streets at all hours of the day. This weekend, as videos of robotaxi malfunctions began appearing on social media, opponents say they are seeing their fears realized.

On Friday, amid increased traffic from the Outside Lands music festival, a number of self-driving cars seemed to glitch. One TikTok user recorded a Cruise vehicle causing mayhem" outside of the festival where it was stuck at an angle in the middle of the street. They're causing mad confusion over here," the user said. A Twitter user shared a video of a Cruise vehicle nearly running over a family on a crosswalk over the weekend. In San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, as many as 10 Cruise cars blocked a main thoroughfare, stoking anger from locals.