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New York reverses plans to allow robotaxis in major blow to Waymo
New York Governor Kathy Hochul today pulled a proposal that could have seen the state flooded with robotaxis.
The proposal, which would have allowed driverless taxis in cities other than New York City, was dropped after not receiving support from state legislators. The news will hit Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car business Waymo LLC especially hard, since it was expecting to go forth and multiply in the state. It’s believed the company has spent in the region of $1.8 million since 2019 lobbying Hochul and state lawmakers.
“Based on conversations with stakeholders, including in the legislature, it was clear that the support was not there to advance this proposal,” said Sean Butler, a spokesman for Hochul.
The decision won’t affect Waymo’s testing that is currently taking place in New York City with safety drivers at the wheel. In a city renowned for its taxis, there was significant pushback from labor unions, rideshare drivers and transit workers after the New York Department of Transportation gave Waymo a permit to start testing in the city. The permit was approved by Eric Adams, predecessor to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. It will expire at the end of March.
“While we are disappointed by the Governor’s decision, we’re committed to bringing our service to New York and will work with the State Legislature to advance this issue,” Waymo spokesman Ethan Teicher said in a statement. “The path forward requires a collaborative approach that prioritizes transparency and public safety.”
The company has been expanding at a fast clip, outpacing competitors such as Tesla Inc., which, despite Elon Musk’s contention that his driverless taxis will one day be omnipresent on U.S. streets, has barely gotten out of the gate.
Meanwhile, Waymo currently operates about 400,000 rides per week across various U.S. cities, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta and Miami. This year was supposed be a bumper year, with plans to expand into Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Orlando and Washington D.C.
Photo: Unsplash
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