{"id":482252,"date":"2026-10-02T02:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T02:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/482252\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T02:10:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T02:10:10","slug":"california-signs-law-imposing-fines-on-robotaxi-operators-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/482252\/","title":{"rendered":"California signs law imposing fines on robotaxi operators \u2014 TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246 into law, establishing new rules for companies that develop autonomous vehicles and operate robotaxis. They must provide local on-site support to emergency services if driverless vehicles cause problems. Companies may also face fines if a robotaxi blocks police or firefighters during an emergency for more than 30 minutes, TechCrunch reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New requirements for companies<\/p>\n

The law stipulates that developers of autonomous vehicles, including Tesla, Waymo and Zoox, will notify cities, towns and other local jurisdictions about the location and status of vehicles during system failures. They will also be required to engage local technical specialists who can help in the event of road accidents or obstructions caused by autonomous vehicles.<\/p>\n

A separate rule applies to remote drivers \u2014 people who directly control a vehicle from a distance. They must be located in the United States and hold U.S. driver\u2019s licenses. According to TechCrunch, Tesla is the only company that has publicly reported having operators capable of taking direct control of its robotaxis.<\/p>\n

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Waymo and other companies have said they use remote assistance: in this case, the driverless system continues to operate the control system, while an employee can provide instructions or send software commands. Zoox said that its remote operations teams are based in the United States.<\/p>\n

Background and entry into force<\/p>\n

The law was passed after a series of incidents in California in which robotaxis broke down and disrupted traffic, drove into crime scenes or interfered with emergency services. A significant share of such cases involved Waymo. Its commercial fleet in the United States numbers about 4,000 autonomous vehicles, approximately 1,200 of which are in the San Francisco Bay Area.<\/p>\n

Waymo and Zoox said they would comply with the new rules. The law will take effect in July 2028. The California Department of Motor Vehicles must determine separate requirements, including the required response time for companies.<\/p>\n

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