Ferry Building down Market Street in San Francisco.

Mayor Daniel Lurie upset some San Franciscans last year when he authorized Waymo to pick up and drop off passengers on a car-free Market Street, but after the policy turnover, the tech company does not seem interested. Even so, the mayor’s decision allowed other ride-hailing companies to operate on the historic thoroughfare, which has started to confuse private drivers into thinking they, too, can travel on the street.

During the SF Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on Monday, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency representatives presented a status report on Market Street. 

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While Market Street is open to commercial vehicles, it’s unavailable to individual drivers between Van Ness Avenue and Steuart Street, near the Embarcadero. Since December, pick-ups and drop-offs at select areas on the street were allowed in Uber and Lyft’s luxury black cars.

Jenny Delumo, a city planner focused on transportation projects, fielded questions on the return of cars and informed the board that only Uber Black has actually started taking the city up on the access.

“We recently heard from Lyft Black that they are piloting a small number of pick-ups and drop-offs,” Delumo said. “And Waymo was not doing pick-up and drop-off on Market Street.”

A Waymo blocks the intersection........

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