On Thursday, California issued permits allowing Cruise and Waymo to begin offering passenger rides in autonomous vehicles (AV). Cruise’s permit allows the company to offer driverless rides to passengers at night in some parts of San Francisco. Waymo’s permit allows the company to begin offering AV rides to passengers in San Francisco with a safety driver behind the wheel.

“When it comes to autonomous vehicles, California just hit the accelerator. Now it’s time for Congress to get out of neutral,” said Chamber of Progress CEO and Founder Adam Kovacevich. “California’s step is a victory for seniors, people with disabilities and other non-drivers, for communities that want safer streets, and for everyone who wants a cleaner environment. With more and more states unleashing AVs, Congress needs to step up and make sure that America leads the world in AV development.”

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a new center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future. We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.

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