My pulse increases slightly as the taxi pulls near. It's an unusual sight, one I never thought I would experience in my life.
There is no one behind the wheel of the cab that has pulled up in front of me. My phone unlocks its door, and I'm quickly taken away into the darkness.
Just as I was about to enter, someone walking by came up to me.
He informed me that, "They're not secure." He had witnessed somebody almost getting hit by an automated cab - and alerted me to be cautious.
He is a member of a San Francisco group that dislikes robotaxis and believes that the city's acceptance of the situation is an unsafe risk to people's lives.
Some have gone even farther. During the summer, a certain campaign group has taken to blocking these cars by placing cones on their hoods.
Safe Street Rebel portrays its activity as "coning", and several of its videos have gone viral. Nonetheless, government officials have been tolerant of their takeovers of city streets - at least so far.
On August 10th, 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) made a decision to permit Waymo and Cruise to offer a round-the-clock service, an extension of their rights from only being allowed to give paid trips during the night.
Prior to voting, officers were presented with six hours of public commentary - an ongoing stream of individuals expressing their wishes and apprehensions.
Rosine, an Uber driver in the city, was among those who were concerned that robotaxis might cause them to lose their livelihood: "If self-driving taxis are allowed to increase, it will take away jobs from families. I'm a single mother," she said.
The representatives of garbage disposal trucks have complained that the cars often cause issues, as they break down and impede their trucks. San Francisco's fire service has expressed their irritation, as they have reportedly been impeded 55 times already this year.
There are some who think that technology hasn't demonstrated its security yet. Matthew Sutter, a taxi driver in San Francisco said: "I'm a big fan of tech, but it's not ready yet... it is a risk for San Fran's people."
Representatives of those with physical disabilities were questioning how they would be able to access cabs without the aid of the driver. Mara Math, a participant of the Paratransit Coordinating Council, noted that the adoption of robotaxis would "leave disabled San Franciscans out in the cold".
Yet its backers were there. George Janku, an orthopaedic surgeon in San Francisco and avid cyclist, stated, "When it comes to how these vehicles operate, I have more trust in them than I do in aggressive or inattentive drivers. In addition, I have treated many serious traumas from those operated by humans - robotaxis are evidently more secure."
Blindness has not stopped Jessie Wolinsky from using transportation services like Lyft and Uber, but these companies have not given her the same level of safety that Waymo cars have consistently provided. As she describes it, the latter has "given me a level of safety that I've never experienced before".
A mother also reported that when cab drivers observed her children's car seats, they refused her service - something that would not have happened with a self-driving car.
I have had the opportunity to observe both perspectives on the robotaxi issue. I have taken multiple rides in Cruise's robotaxis in the last few months and have not experienced any mishaps. On the flip side, I have also experienced being stuck in a robotaxi that malfunctioned in the middle of the street.
Not knowing how to make the tight right-hand turn, we stopped. The vehicles behind us showed their impatience with honks of their horns, and finally they drove up onto the sidewalk to go around us. I could certainly empathize with them.
Eight days following the approval of corporations to broaden the employment of robotaxis, a Cruise taxi had a crash with a fire truck.
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The state department of motor vehicles asked Cruise to reduce the amount of cars on the roads by half - to which it responded in the affirmative.
The city's Attorney, David Chiu, implored the CPUC to cease their decision-making, stating, "San Francisco will be negatively impacted by this unrestricted growth."
Cruise and Waymo are adamant that their robotaxis are secure.
Waymo stated to the BBC that their organization has logged more than two million miles of fully autonomous driving, and in that time, they have had no incidents involving pedestrians or cyclists.
Waymo reports that all collisions in which they have been involved are due to the disregard of laws or reckless driving on the part of other drivers.
Cruise declared to the BBC that they had recorded three million miles of autonomous driving, and had maintained a stellar safety record.
Though a fair amount of San Franciscans still have doubts, in a well-maintained park in the city I was able to encounter the leader of Safe Street Rebel, who wished to remain anonymous.
I have been informed that coning could be one of the initial physical demonstrations against artificial intelligence, and that such human activities may become increasingly frequent.
People in San Francisco are disgruntled that their worries regarding robotaxis are seemingly going unheard - "We do not intend to act as a militia. We are simply a community that has banded together to make sure our voices are heard."
I wanted to know if they were modern-day Luddites, similar to the movement in the early 19th Century that was strongly resistant to technology advancements.
"Yes, I believe there are similarities. And I think the Luddites are unfairly judged in the past."
San Francisco is in an unusual position. Aspiring to be a leader in innovation, yet city authorities have not engaged many of its inhabitants.
It appears that the city has come to a juncture. Despite the car companies' assurance that their cars are secure, they will find it challenging to stay in San Francisco if they are unable to convince the locals of that fact.
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