Waymo’s big chance to bring its robotaxis to the state of New York has been thwarted — for now.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul withdrew a proposal that would have amended vehicle and traffic laws to effectively legalize robotaxis in the state outside of New York City. Hochul spokesperson Sean Butler confirmed to TechCrunch that the proposal has been pulled.
“Based on conversations with stakeholders, including in the legislature, it was clear that the support was not there to advance this proposal,” Butler said in an emailed statement. Bloomberg was the first to report the proposal had been removed.
The withdrawal is a setback for Waymo which has tried for years — along with other autonomous vehicle (AV) companies — to test and eventually deploy robotaxis in New York.
“We hear from thousands of New Yorkers who have experienced Waymo in other cities and want access to it at home,” Waymo said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch.
“They want the safety, privacy, and comfort that riders in other major cities already enjoy. 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.”
“The path forward requires a collaborative approach that prioritizes transparency and public safety. We will continue to engage constructively with the Governor, the Legislature, and officials around the state to deliver this proven mobility option that New Yorkers are waiting for,” added Waymo’s statement.
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Hochul had introduced, as part of her broader budget proposal, a plan to change a state law that mandates drivers keep one hand on the wheel at all times. That law essentially prevents robotaxi companies like Waymo from operating in the state since no human is behind the wheel — if there is a steering wheel at all.
Even if Hochul’s proposal had survived, it would not have opened the floodgates to AV companies. The proposal contained a number of limitations, including that AV companies could not deploy for-hire robotaxi services in any city with more than a million people. AV companies would also need approval from the state’s transportation commissioner, pay a $1 million fee, and show proof of financial security of at least $5 million. The state would have only backed robotaxi pilots in cities or townships where there was a clear demonstration of local support, Butler said.
With that proposal dead, the state’s existing AV pilot program, which is far more restrictive, is expected to remain. Under the pilot program, companies can seek an exemption to the one-hand on the wheel rule, allowing them to develop and test autonomous vehicles in the state, but not launch commercial robotaxi services.
Waymo is currently testing in New York City, and is allowed to do so through March 31.
New York City regulators granted a permit last August to Waymo to test its robotaxis in the city. Under that permit, Waymo is allowed to test up to eight of its Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn, as long as there is a human safety operator behind the wheel.
Waymo is active in numerous other states and operates commercial robotaxi services in Atlanta, Austin, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company says it provides more than 400,000 paid rides every week and is targeting one million weekly rides by the end of the year.
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