Los Angeles commuters: Don't be alarmed, but driverless taxis may soon become a more common site on local streets. On March 1, state regulators gave Waymo, the self-driving taxi company owned by Google's parent, Alphabet, the green light to expand its robotaxi service to Los Angeles County, clearing the way for the company's expansion into one of the biggest markets in the country. While local transportation agencies deal with day-to-day traffic operations in their respective jurisdictions, the California Public Utilities Commission oversees the regulation of driverless vehicles across the state, superseding local governments. Waymo has not disclosed a timeline for when its service will become widely available, but a handful of Waymo vehicles are already roaming about the county, including around the USC campus, as part of its ongoing testing and promotion program. Under its new approval agreement, Waymo's driverless fleet can operate in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, East Los Angeles, Compton and many more locales.

State regulators on Friday gave the green light for Waymo to expand into Los Angeles and San Mateo counties, clearing the way for the driverless taxi service to launch in the coming months. Exactly when Waymo services will be available in Los Angeles is still to be determined, but the decision by the California Public Utilities Commission will open the streets of America's second-largest city to a fleet of autonomous vehicles -- even as self-driving cars continue to be the subject of safety concerns and some public criticism. Waymo, formerly known as the Google self-driving car project, is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, and already operates in parts of San Francisco. Waymo's driverless taxi launch in Santa Monica attracted both excited enthusiasts and concerned critics. The company is allowed to operate fully autonomous vehicles and carry public passengers as part of its testing and promotion, and has been testing its driverless white Jaguars in Los Angeles for more than a year.

Another California community is raising concerns about plans to unleash the Waymo self-driving vehicle in its jurisdiction, following several incidents involving autonomous ride-hailing cars that resulted in injuries. San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area, has requested more information from state regulators before allowing Google-owned Waymo to operate its driverless vehicles in the county. San Mateo County made the request after Waymo submitted a letter Jan. 19 to the California Public Utilities Commission, asking the agency to approve its proposed expansion of its Automated Vehicle Passenger Services into portions of the San Francisco Peninsula, which includes San Mateo County, as well as the southwest region of Los Angeles County. The company has already been serving a portion of San Francisco, from Lands End to Bernal Heights. The autonomous car began offering rides for a limited time in November in Santa Monica, Century City, West Hollywood, Mid-City Koreatwon and downtown L.A., giving residents a chance at testing the driverless ride.