At the SFMTA Board of Directors meeting in City Hall, transportation director Jeffrey Tumlin gave an update to the board on the status of driverless cars in the city.
Tuesday's discussion came amid a new plan to expand driverless car services in San Francisco, which the California Public Utilities Commission is set to vote on Aug. 10. The commission, which is responsible for regulations of autonomous vehicles or AVs, had previously postponed the vote.
SFMTA estimates more than 90 complaints about driverless cars were reported in both March and April, the two most recent months for which the agency has data.
According to the agency, the cars stop in place when confused instead of pulling over; pick up and drop off passengers in traffic lanes and have difficulty understanding things like traffic control officers or construction sites.
For months, SFMTA has urged the commission to collect more data and implement driverless cars incrementally, claiming that the technology is not safe enough to be expanded.
Tumlin said autonomous vehicles do have the power to make roads safer and should be able to expand -- if their ability to meet standards can be backed up by data.
