Transit Study Reveals Robotaxis Causing Surprisingly Little Disruption On Streets

The San Francisco Muni transit agency directed its drivers to make careful records of disruptions caused by the Cruise and Waymo self-driving robotaxis operating on San Francisco streets. We’ve seen a number of reports online, in regular and social media, of blockages and incidents, including the recent crash between a Cruise and a bus. As a result many have written as though there is a serious problem. But anecdotes are not the same as data.

Wired magazine recently dug into Muni’s records and videos. Their headline says the opposite of what the data recovered say: “Agency logs show 12 ‘driverless’ reports from September 2022 through March 8, 2023, ... Overall, the incidents resulted in at least 83 minutes of direct delays for Muni riders, records show.”