It comes down to data: California wants it, but companies say it could reveal trade secrets.
Cruise and Waymo may be bitter rivals in the race to produce a commercially viable autonomous vehicle. But the two companies agree on one thing: State regulators are requiring them to make too much information public about about their ride-hailing services in San Francisco.
While the data in question currently pertains to a small number of trips in The City, the CPUC’s ultimate decision could eventually have a major impact on transportation in San Francisco and across the state. As autonomous ride-hailing services continue to expand, trip-level data could help cities understand how these new services effect traffic, public transit and street safety.
Cruise and Waymo made their confidentiality requests in their quarterly reports to the CPUC. The two companies are currently the only ones with permits to charge for rides in their autonomous vehicles, offering services much like Uber or Lyft in a limited part of San Francisco. Waymo withholds data on autonomous vehicle taxi service in San Francisco The data would violate customer privacy and reveal trade secrets, the company says
The City has also petitioned the CPUC for more detailed trip-level data from TNC companies like Uber and Lyft. San Francisco transportation planners are “required to plan the transportation infrastructure for the future, manage congestion, and manage curb space appropriately,” city officials wrote in a 2019 letter to the CPUC. “TNC ride data can provide meaningful insight into these transportation planning needs. Thus, SFMTA has a keen need for this data.