Asian Tech Press (Dec 02) -- Self-driving car company Cruise's application to offer paid autonomous cab service in San Francisco has been challenged by the city's public transportation agency, according to media reports, which claim that a promotional video released by the company shows passengers getting in and out of its self-driving cabs in the middle of the street illegally, posing a threat to traffic safety.

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Director Jeff Tumlin said Cruise's recently released video shows the company failing to stop its road violations, endangering passersby and impeding traffic. The agency also accused Cruise of the program's neglect of nearly all of the city's low-income and disadvantaged communities and its failure to provide accommodations for people with disabilities. The agency also said that none of the 14 stops provided by the Cruise video meet the requirements of the Vehicle Code and Transportation Code; and noted that while Cruise said it would avoid streets with light rail lines, there is a long train line within its planned service area.

Cruise filed an application for tolled self-driving service with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last month. And in response to the SFMTA's challenge, the company said it will respond in a letter to the CPUC following Monday.

The SFMTA is calling on the CPUC to deny Cruise's application until it can demonstrate that its self-driving system can identify legal parking spaces and refine initial deployment plans.