In San Francisco, USA, one day after approval was granted to increase the number of robot taxis, a disruption in internet connectivity caused 10 taxis to be stranded in traffic, leading to congestion. After a concert last Friday, users called numerous robot taxis from the Cruise company to the area, causing congestion and resulting in the moving taxis experiencing connection issues.
As a result of the connectivity problem, 10 robot taxis became immobile in the flowing traffic, effectively causing traffic havoc and chaos.
Following the incident, the company stated that the issue experienced by the vehicles was due to the high cellphone congestion caused by the concert, and they are actively working to address the problem.
Witnesses stated that the 10 robot taxis were stuck in two narrow streets.
Local resident Jeffrey Bilbrey expressed his concern, stating, "It made me feel horrible because people could have died. If it was an emergency, emergency vehicles wouldn't be able to pass these taxis and get to the street."
Bilbrey mentioned that the vehicles remained stationary for about 15 minutes, resulting in a serious traffic jam.
He added, "I was warning people because those who aren't from the city didn't know these cars were self-driving. I was yelling it out the window."
Inspector Aaron Peskin mentioned that he had spoken with the company and that the company plans to establish its own connectivity network.
With nearly 600 self-driving vehicles in San Francisco, Peskin emphasized, "San Francisco has become a testing ground for these vehicles in the U.S. We are all learning from these experiences. We want companies to work with us for the public benefit."
Since the beginning of 2023, there have been 55 accidents involving self-driving vehicles in San Francisco.
