New York nonprofit pushes for Waymo robotaxi deployment

A new nonprofit organization, ‘A Better Road Forward’, is campaigning to introduce driverless robotaxis, such as those operated by Google-owned Waymo, to New York. The group, which includes former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, plans to launch television advertisements and hold informational meetings across the state to advocate for autonomous vehicle deployment.

This push follows the failure of a study intended to demonstrate the dangers of robotaxis. The report, which claimed Waymos were more dangerous than traditional taxis, had to retract significant portions after it was found to have improperly compared different injury categories. Waymo’s reported injury crash rate is 0.712 per million miles nationwide, compared to 1.871 for other services.

While Waymo’s autonomous pilot program in New York City lapsed in March, the company continues to collect data using vehicles with human drivers. Previous attempts to expand Waymo services into upstate New York were blocked by Governor Kathy Hochul following opposition from taxi drivers and labor unions. Interested companies may still apply for pilots through the State DMV and the city Department of Transportation.