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DC committee kills bill that would have allowed driverless taxis by 2028
A bill that would have allowed autonomous vehicles to operate in Washington, D.C., by 2028 was killed during a vote Thursday. Councilmembers who voted against the bill said they would eventually like to see driverless taxis in the District, but raised several concerns.
WASHINGTON - A bill that would have allowed driverless taxis in Washington, D.C., was killed in a Committee of Transportation and Environment vote Thursday.
What we know:
The legislation would have paved the way for autonomous vehicles to operate in the District by 2028.
The councilmembers who voted against the bill, including Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis-George, said they are not against driverless taxis on D.C. roads, and they are not against the innovation or technology, but they have a lot of concerns and they do not want to rush it.
"We don't need to and shouldn't beg businesses to be here," said Councilmember Charles Allen, who sponsored the bill. "We do have an opportunity before us to signal that with the right protections in place, the District can be a leader in innovation that treats their workers with dignity."
"This technology itself is still in the test phase, and D.C. cannot be a guinea pig," Lewis George said. "As a responsible leader, I cannot support us being a guinea pig because of our unique position. I do want to work with you and I want my administration to work with you to get deployment right."
Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles in D.C. with human drivers for more than two years, with the goal of letting them operate without drivers and with paying customers.
The updated bill put before the council by Allen would have capped "robotaxis" at 200 per company and 800 across all operators. The bill would have also created strict oversight and accountability policies.
READ MORE | Updated DC bill aims to regulate autonomous vehicles by 2028
Supporters said the technology could bring more jobs to the District, and some business leaders are worried that D.C. could be left behind if it does not act quickly.
However, labor unions have pushed back against the proposal for months, citing safety concerns and potential job losses.
What they're saying:
"I don't want to see Maryland or Virginia taking the lead on this, because they're going to do it. If we don't do it, they are definitely going to do it, and I would like for us to take the lead," said H Street Main Street Executive Director Anwar Saleem. "We are the nation's capital. We are the leaders of the world. Let's take advantage of it and let's show people how to lead."
"If I had it my way, robots would never make it through out city, but we also understand that the technology is here," said 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President Jaime Contreras. "We're not opposed to innovation. We just think that rushing such an important build through, it's irresponsible, and we think that we need to take our time to do it right and make sure that we have the right protections for workers."
Waymo currently operates in 15 cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.
The councilmembers who voted against the bill said they would like to eventually see autonomous vehicles in the District, but think that there still needs to be more work done to address unique challenges, like motorcades, protests and pedestrians on D.C. streets along with labor union rights.
The Source: Information in this article is from a Committee of Transportation and Environment hearing and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.