Opinion: Get Waymos off our streets
After a successful 5 years of operation in Arizona, self-driving Waymos have returned to New York, having driven through the city in 2021 for weather data collection purposes.
Despite the initial excitement, New York State and Governor Kathy Hochul must resist the deployment of Waymo's autonomous cars, as they threaten jobs, degrade the unique culture and identity of the city's cab system, and are ill-suited to handle the unpredictable pedestrian and street life ecosystem.
New York City's approximately 130,000 taxi and for-hire drivers face significant job loss if these robotaxis progress into the city, reminiscent of when Uber and Lyft expanded to New York in 2015, outnumbering cabs 5.2 to 1.
They pose a massive threat to jobs, degrade the unique culture and identity of our cab system and are highly ill-suited to handle the unpredictable pedestrian and street life ecosystem of the city.
Author's summary: Waymos threaten NYC taxi drivers' jobs.