Los Angeles, CA, August 8, 2026 —

A Los Angeles court has denied a request by Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company, to continue its overnight driverless operations in the city. The decision comes as Waymo seeks to appeal a previous ban on these services.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) had previously approved Waymo’s expansion of its autonomous ride-hailing services across 630 square miles of Los Angeles County, including the city of Los Angeles, in November 2023. However, this approval was later halted by a proposed CPUC rule change that effectively banned autonomous vehicles from operating without a paid driver during certain hours. Waymo’s service was specifically impacted by the overnight hours restriction.

Waymo had sought a temporary stay from the court to allow its operations to continue uninterrupted while its appeal of the CPUC’s ban is processed. The company argued that halting operations would disrupt its services and impact customers. However, the court’s ruling means Waymo must cease its overnight autonomous operations in Los Angeles as the appeal proceeds.

The CPUC’s initial decision to allow wider expansion was met with some opposition from local officials and residents concerned about safety and potential impacts on traffic and existing transit services. The subsequent proposed rule change, which led to the ban, reflected some of these concerns.

The exact details of Waymo’s appeal and the timeline for its resolution were not immediately available. The company has been operating autonomous vehicles in parts of California, including San Francisco, for several years, and its expansion into Los Angeles marked a significant step in its commercial deployment strategy.


Story summarized from the original created by Google News on news.google.com, see more information here.

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