Free Waymo rides in California? You can thank a regulatory quirk.

在加州可以免费乘坐 Waymo？这得归功于一个监管漏洞。

Robotaxi companies have thrived in California, where the good weather, enthusiasm for technology, and sophisticated labor force have supported their growth for nearly two decades. But a delayed decision from a state regulatory agency is now slowing Alphabet’s subsidiary Waymo, the US leader in driverless robotaxi service. 自动驾驶出租车公司在加州蓬勃发展，得益于当地良好的气候、对科技的热情以及成熟的劳动力市场，这些因素支撑了该行业近二十年的增长。然而，州监管机构的一项决策延迟，目前正拖慢 Alphabet 旗下子公司 Waymo 的步伐，该公司是美国无人驾驶出租车服务的领军者。

The holdup means that Waymo isn’t yet allowed to expand into parts of Northern and Southern California. And, in an upside for riders, Waymo still isn’t able to charge California passengers for rides in its new vehicle, a pale blue Chinese-made car it’s calling the Ojai, which started picking up riders last month. If Waymo continues to operate these vehicles in its driverless ride-hail service, they could be gratis until the end of September and perhaps beyond. (The company continues to charge for rides in its Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis, which make up the majority of its fleet.) 这一延误意味着 Waymo 尚未获准将其服务扩展到北加州和南加州的部分地区。对于乘客来说，一个利好消息是，Waymo 目前还无法对其新款车型——一款名为“Ojai”的淡蓝色中国产汽车——的行程向加州乘客收费，该车型于上个月开始载客。如果 Waymo 继续在其无人驾驶网约车服务中使用这些车辆，那么在 9 月底甚至更长时间内，乘客或许都能免费乘坐。（该公司对其车队主力车型捷豹 I-Pace 自动驾驶出租车仍继续收费。）

Unlike other states that allow robotaxis to launch testing operations and later public service without much, if any, oversight, California doesn’t allow the vehicles to hit the roads without permission. To put their autonomous vehicles on the road, companies require approval from the state Department of Motor Vehicles. They also need permission from the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates taxi and other transportation services, to carry paying passengers. 与其他允许自动驾驶出租车在几乎无需监管的情况下启动测试运营并随后提供公共服务的州不同，加州不允许这些车辆在未经许可的情况下上路。公司若要让其自动驾驶汽车上路，必须获得州机动车管理局（DMV）的批准。此外，他们还需要获得负责监管出租车及其他交通服务的加州公用事业委员会（CPUC）的许可，才能搭载付费乘客。

Waymo applied to the CPUC in January to expand its service area and to add its Ojai cars to its fleet. In Northern California, its new proposed service area would span from Sea Ranch and Sacramento in the north, through Berkeley and Oakland, and into San Jose. In Southern California, it would grow past Los Angeles into Thousand Oaks and Santa Clarita, and down to the Tijuana border past San Diego. Waymo 于 1 月向 CPUC 提出申请，旨在扩大其服务区域并将 Ojai 车型纳入其车队。在北加州，其拟议的新服务区域将从北部的海牧场（Sea Ranch）和萨克拉门托延伸，途经伯克利和奥克兰，直至圣何塞。在南加州，服务范围将越过洛杉矶，扩展至千橡市（Thousand Oaks）和圣克拉拉里塔（Santa Clarita），并向下延伸至圣地亚哥以南的蒂华纳边境。

But the process has been caught up in an unusual amount of controversy. In May, the agency asked for more information about how Waymo responds to emergency incidents, like December’s San Francisco power outage that stranded more than 60 Waymos in traffic. It also asked for new details about how Waymo makes sure that unaccompanied minors don’t ride in its cars—a violation of state law. The questions came after a labor union representing ride-hail drivers filed a formal complaint with the agency about Waymo transporting unaccompanied minors. 然而，这一审批过程陷入了不同寻常的争议之中。今年 5 月，该机构要求 Waymo 提供更多关于其如何应对紧急事件的信息，例如去年 12 月旧金山发生的停电事故，当时导致 60 多辆 Waymo 车辆滞留在交通中。该机构还要求 Waymo 提供关于如何确保未成年人不会在无人陪同下乘坐其车辆的详细说明，因为这违反了州法律。此前，一个代表网约车司机的工会曾就 Waymo 搭载无人陪同未成年人的行为向该机构提交了正式投诉。

Now, CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division and Waymo have agreed to a new extension through September 25, according to Terrie Prosper, a spokesperson for the agency. Waymo’s request is “still under review, and the elements requested for approval have not been authorized,” Prosper said. 据该机构发言人 Terrie Prosper 称，目前 CPUC 的消费者保护与执法部门已与 Waymo 达成协议，将审批期限延长至 9 月 25 日。Prosper 表示，Waymo 的申请“仍在审查中，审批所需的要素尚未获得授权”。

In a written statement, Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher said the company wouldn’t start charging for Ojai rides until the California agency approves its application but said the agency could approve its proposals sooner than September. He said Waymo is also waiting to charge for the rides “until we are satisfied with the progress made through our Trusted Tester availability in California and Arizona.” Waymo 发言人 Ethan Teicher 在一份书面声明中表示，在加州监管机构批准其申请之前，公司不会开始对 Ojai 的行程收费，但他补充说，该机构可能会在 9 月之前批准其提案。他还表示，Waymo 也在等待，直到“我们对在加州和亚利桑那州通过‘可信测试员’（Trusted Tester）项目所取得的进展感到满意”后，才会开始收费。

Waymo’s Ojai is its first vehicle purpose-built to be a driverless taxi. It still has a steering wheel and brake pedals but also 13 cameras, six radar systems, and four lidar sensors, which help the vehicle orient itself. The car is manufactured by the Chinese company Zeekr, but Waymo says the vehicle avoids a ban on Chinese-connected automotive tech set to go into effect next year because the manufacturer only makes the vehicle’s shell, and its connected systems are built and added in the US. Waymo 的 Ojai 是其首款专为无人驾驶出租车打造的车型。它仍然保留了方向盘和刹车踏板，但配备了 13 个摄像头、6 个雷达系统和 4 个激光雷达传感器，以帮助车辆进行定位。该车由中国公司极氪（Zeekr）制造，但 Waymo 表示，该车规避了明年即将生效的针对中国相关汽车技术的禁令，因为制造商仅负责制造车身外壳，而其联网系统均在美国境内构建和添加。