Waymo in 2021. Photo courtesy of Waymo.
After backing legislation that would allow self-driving vehicles to be tested outside city limits, Gov. Kathy Hochul has reversed her stance, saying this week that companies like Waymo won’t be allowed to test the cars in smaller towns outside of New York City, as Gothamist reported. The latest development does not affect the current pilot program, allowing Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, to operate eight of its cars in Manhattan and Brooklyn, albeit with a human at the wheel.
Hochul’s reversal comes after receiving feedback from street safety groups, unions representing cab drivers, and other stakeholders who oppose the arrival of self-driving taxis. The Independent Drivers Guild has advanced a petition to ban the testing of autonomous vehicles in all parts of the state, and for-hire and yellow cab drivers fear their industry will be decimated by robotaxi service.
“Based on conversations with stakeholders, including in the Legislature, it was clear that the support was not there to advance this proposal,” a spokesperson for Hochul said in a statement to Gothamist.
As 6sqft previously reported, the state’s Vehicle Traffic Law will not allow for fully driverless riding without a trained specialist behind the steering wheel at all times during the New York City pilot run.
Waymo is hoping state legislators will amend that law so it can expand its fleet of autonomous vehicles to include NYC.
Waymo has been growing its fleet in cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco, where the driverless cars are a common sight on city streets, since 2020. The Waymo pilot is currently underway in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn under a permit from the Department of Transportation.
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