NY Times – New York to Back Away From Robotaxi Pilot Programs Upstate
Gov. Kathy Hochul had proposed expanding the programs beyond New York City, but they do not have enough support, her office said.
See original article by Stefanos Chen and David McCabe at the NY Times
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is expected on Thursday to withdraw a recent proposal to expand the use of autonomous for-hire vehicles outside New York City, according to her office.
The retreat comes after fierce opposition from taxi drivers and labor groups, even as autonomous vehicles have become more common in cities throughout the United States.
In January, the governor’s office included language in the state’s executive budget that would have enabled communities outside the city to allow a number of so-called robotaxis to pick up passengers. The proposal would have permitted private companies, like Waymo, Uber and others, to seek approval from local governments, if they could prove the concept’s popularity with residents.
Ms. Hochul praised the proposal in January as a boon for road safety and for transportation options outside New York City. But a month later, even that tentative language is expected to be removed from the budget.
“Based on conversations with stakeholders, including in the Legislature, it was clear that the support was not there to advance this proposal,” Sean Butler, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement. Ms. Hochul’s decision was first reported by Politico.
Groups representing drivers of taxis and for-hire vehicles have strongly opposed robotaxis. And Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is closely allied with cabdrivers, has expressed skepticism about their use in New York City, perhaps the biggest test remaining for the autonomous vehicle industry.
Brendan Sexton, the president of the Independent Drivers Guild, called the pullback “a major win for ride-share workers and an important step for public safety and working families.” The guild represents more than 140,000 drivers in New York State.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, allows people to hail rides using its app in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami. Waymo employees are able to hail rides in five additional cities in Florida, Texas and Tennessee, a sign that Waymo may be close to offering its services to the general public in more places. This month, the company said it had raised $16 billion for its global expansion plan.
Other companies, like Tesla and Amazon’s Zoox, are building their own autonomous taxi businesses.
Ethan Teicher, a spokesman for Waymo, said in a statement that the company was disappointed by the governor’s expected move but would continue to seek ways to bring its autonomous fleet to the state.
“We will continue to engage constructively with the governor, the Legislature and officials around the state to deliver the proven mobility option that New Yorkers are waiting for,” he said.
Supporters of driverless automobiles say the industry can help make for-hire vehicles more accessible to people with disabilities, and that autonomous cars are safer than vehicles with drivers.
State Senator Jeremy Cooney of Rochester, the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he disagreed with the decision to pull back on the pilots.
“This is not science fiction; rather, a real opportunity to increase driver and pedestrian safety across our state,” he said.
Waymo has been testing eight of its autonomous vehicles on the streets of New York City since last year. Passengers cannot book a ride in the cars, and state law requires the company to run the tests with a human driver behind the wheel who can take over.
The company’s permission to test in the city ends on March 31, Mr. Teicher said. Waymo would need permission from both city and state officials to extend the testing period.
Ms. Hochul will seek to allow continued supervised testing of robotaxis, including in New York City, Mr. Butler said. Mr. Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the governor’s decision or the future of autonomous vehicle testing in the city.
Sam Schwartz, the director of the transportation research program at Hunter College, said the governor’s decision was “prudent.”
Unlike some other parts of the country where robotaxis are in use, he said, the New York region has a dizzying volume of couriers, cyclists and one-wheelers — not to mention wildlife — all sharing the road.
“We’ve got tough pigeons to contend with, as well as tough pedestrians,” he said, adding that extreme weather, like heavy snowfall, could also pose challenges for the technology.
Cabbies and for-hire-vehicle drivers have long been wary of the rise of robotaxis.
Bhairavi Desai, the executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which represents more than 28,000 cab, Uber and Lyft drivers in the city, said she welcomed the governor’s decision.
“This is technology that is going to have a significant impact on livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers,” Ms. Desai said, adding that her group was skeptical of the industry’s safety claims.
A number of recent high-profile episodes have hurt the industry’s image.
In October, an automated Jaguar operated by Waymo ran over and killed Kit Kat, a beloved tabby cat in San Francisco, a city that has allowed wider use of driverless vehicles.
Last month, in Santa Monica, Calif., a Waymo robotaxi struck a child, who sustained minor injuries. The company said the child had “suddenly entered the roadway” and that its vehicle had hit the brakes more effectively than a human driver would have in the same circumstances.
See original article by Stefanos Chen and David McCabe at the NY Times
