California is putting new limits on how robotaxi companies handle emergencies. Senate Bill 1246, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, will create local penalties when an autonomous vehicle blocks first responders for more than 30 minutes.
The law will take effect on July 1, 2028. It also requires robotaxi operators to provide support for first responders, share vehicle information during system-wide failures, and give authorities clearer details about how companies respond when their vehicles cause problems.
What the new law requires
Under Senate Bill 1246, robotaxi companies must provide an on-site contact known as a “local incident technician.” The law also requires operators to use US-based remote human drivers who hold US driver’s licenses.
Those requirements address a basic problem with autonomous vehicles: when a vehicle stops, crashes, breaks down, or blocks a roadway, emergency crews need a clear way to get information and resolve the situation. If a robotaxi blocks first responders for more than 30 minutes, the company can face local penalties.
Robotaxi companies must also notify local authorities about the location and status of their vehicles during system-wide failures. They will have to issue additional reports covering their response times to incidents involving their vehicles.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles will set guidelines for certain parts of the law. Those guidelines will shape how some of the requirements work before the law takes effect.
State Senator Dave Cortese, who addressed the measure, said the rules are meant to keep responsibility clear as autonomous vehicles operate on California roads.
“California has embraced autonomous vehicles, but we cannot embrace innovation at the expense of public safety. When an autonomous vehicle crashes, breaks down, blocks a roadway in an emergency, or gets in the way of law enforcement or first responders, there must be clear accountability,” Cortese said.
Remote help becomes a key issue
The law comes as robotaxi operators rely on remote human assistance in some situations. Waymo, the largest robotaxi operator in the United States, has about 4,000 autonomous vehicles in its fleet across the country, including about 1,200 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Waymo sometimes relies on remote human operators when its vehicles become stuck. The company operates remote assistance staff in the Philippines and has command centers in Arizona and Michigan, while the new California law requires remote human drivers to be based in the United States and hold US driver’s licenses.
Waymo said the bill’s amendments keep its service feasible while adding safety requirements. “We are grateful for the amendments made to the bill, which ensure autonomous vehicle operators can still feasibly serve Californians. Waymo is committed to making roads safer in California and continually improving our service,” a Waymo spokesperson said.
Tesla also allows human drivers to remotely control vehicles, but only in difficult situations after “available intervention actions have been exhausted.” That describes a different approach to remote control, with direct human control reserved for situations that remain difficult after other intervention options have ended.
Zoox’s remote operations teams are based in the United States. The law’s requirement for US-based remote human drivers therefore places a clear focus on where these support operations are located and who performs them.
Why emergency access matters
Autonomous vehicles must share roads with first responders, and a vehicle that cannot move can create a problem beyond its own trip. A blocked roadway can interfere with emergency access, law enforcement, or other response work.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called for solutions to autonomous vehicle interference with emergency services. California’s law responds with specific duties for operators, including local contacts, failure notifications, response-time reports, and penalties tied to vehicles blocking first responders.
The 30-minute threshold gives local authorities a clear point at which a blocked emergency route can trigger a penalty. The law also makes companies responsible for communicating vehicle location and status when a system-wide failure affects their vehicles.
That combination creates two separate expectations for robotaxi operators. They must help deal with an individual vehicle that blocks first responders, and they must provide broader information when a failure affects vehicles across a system.
California has embraced autonomous vehicles, but Senate Bill 1246 adds conditions around that support. Robotaxi companies will need local incident technicians, US-based remote human drivers with US licenses, communication plans for system-wide failures, and reports showing how long incident responses take.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles will set guidelines on parts of the law, while local penalties will apply when robotaxi vehicles block first responders for more than 30 minutes. The rules will begin on July 1, 2028.
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