Robotaxis unpopular

Self-driving car set on fire in San Francisco

(Bild: AFP )

A self-driving car from Google's sister company Waymo has been set on fire on the street in San Francisco. Videos published on the internet showed how several people first smashed the windows of the driverless robotaxi. They then set it on fire using a firework.

The Waymo robotaxi had come to a standstill in a street in Chinatown on Saturday evening, which was blocked by a crowd of people during the Chinese New Year celebrations. The car was traveling without passengers.

The self-driving cars are controversial in San Francisco. Critics and authorities complain, among other things, that the vehicles often block traffic.

Last year, San Francisco became a unique test case for self-driving cabs. Waymo and the General Motors subsidiary Cruise received permission from a Californian supervisory authority in the summer to offer their driverless transportation services throughout the city. The city council and many residents were against this.

A self-driving cab from Waymo

(Bild: AFP )

Pedestrian dragged for meters by robot cab
Cruise's cars have been at a standstill since an accident in October. Back then, a pedestrian was hit by a conventional car with a human at the wheel and thrown in front of a Cruise robotaxi. The driverless car braked, but the woman got stuck underneath it. The Cruise car then tried to drive automatically to the side of the road. It dragged the woman several meters. Critics were vindicated in their assessment that the technology was not safe enough. General Motors replaced the management at Cruise after the accident and only intends to gradually return the vehicles to the road.

Developers of self-driving cars emphasize that the vehicles are safer on the road than cars with people at the wheel.