(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen released an updated version of a bill that would allow Waymo and other autonomous rideshare vehicles to operate in the District.
What we know:
The updated legislation, known as the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026, comes ahead of a vote Thursday in the Committee of Transportation and Environment.
If it passes, the bill would pave the way for "robotaxis" to begin operating in the District by 2028.
Current law allows autonomous vehicles to be tested only if a human safety driver is behind the wheel. The legislation would advance the current testing phase to a driverless testing phase with the goal of limited operation of passenger services.
Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles with drivers inside for two years. In July, the company said it had test-driven over 300,000 miles in D.C., safely navigating everything from crowded Chinatown streets to an emergency in the 3rd Street tunnel.
Dig deeper:
The legislation would introduce strict oversight and would cap the total number of autonomous vehicles allowed in D.C. to 800 across all operators. The bill would also establish labor rights for rideshare drivers, requirements for disability accessibility and strong protections for anyone involved in a crash with an autonomous vehicle.
Councilmember Allen emphasized the need for proactive rules, saying, "If you believe autonomous vehicles will eventually become common on our roads, as I do, then it makes sense to regulate them on our terms."
By implementing these regulations ahead of time, Allen said the district can learn from past rollouts.
"We can correct the mistake that the District and other cities made when rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft entered the market without any regulations in place by limiting drivers avoiding specific neighborhoods or customers, preventing congestion, and generating new sources of revenue for the District," he said.
Allen and other supporters of the bill argue that allowing autonomous vehicles on D.C. roadways would increase safety and decrease dangerous driving behavior, as the vehicles can be programmed to always follow traffic laws and do not operate while impaired or distracted.
"The guiding principle for allowing an AV to operate in the District is safety, in particular for pedestrians," Allen said.
The bill would also grant rideshare drivers and workers at maintenance facilities for autonomous vehicle companies the right to organize. According to Allen, these workers are typically unable to organize under federal law.
"This bill addresses that imbalance and provides a right no other independent contractor in the District has," Allen said.
The other side:
Autonomous vehicle technology has faced backlash in the District, with unions raising concerns that more driverless vehicles would mean fewer jobs for rideshare drivers and taxi drivers.
During a protest in October, some union officials said they are not against the technology, but want to make sure people who work as drivers are not left behind.
The Source: Information in this article is from a proposed D.C. bill and the office of Councilmember Charles Allen.