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Robotaxis, Robotaxis, and Robotaxis
Boston clamps down on robotaxis, Uber takes on Waymo and gig workers get a new gig. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
BOSTON VS. DRIVERLESS TAXIS
Boston is putting the breaks on driverless taxis. Bloomberg reported:
Boston city councilors are proposing an ordinance that would require Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo and other autonomous ride-share services to have a human operator present in the vehicle.
The legislation would mandate a study on the technology's effects on the employment of current ride-share drivers and prohibit self-driving cars from operating in Boston until that's been completed and other permitting requirements are established. Even then, the cars wouldn't be allowed to operate unless a human safety operator is inside the vehicle and able to intervene, according to the proposed ordinance.
The restrictions are up for possible action at a meeting on Wednesday, though councilors said there are likely to be more hearings on the legislation before it comes to a full vote. Typically, proposals from city councilors that advance must pass through committee and then receive public hearings before the mayor signs off. The exact language of Boston's restrictions on autonomous vehicles could change substantially before anything becomes law.
Boston has been something of a hotbed for autonomous vehicle development. Hyundai Motor Co.-backed Motional is headquartered in the city and has been testing on public roads there since 2016. Boston is also among the cities where Waymo, which is widely considered to be the leader in the space, has been doing mapping and testing work as the company looks to expand service to new US cities.
Ethan Teicher, a spokesperson for Waymo, said in a post on X that the proposal would make Boston the “first major city in the world to ban fully autonomous vehicles based entirely on vibes,” adding that the company's vehicles improve safety. A local Teamsters chapter and other labor unions have protested the rollout of autonomous ride-share services in Massachusetts.
UBER VS WAYMO IN SF
Uber is taking on Waymo in San Fran. Bloomberg reported:
Uber Technologies Inc. is preparing to offer driverless rides on vehicles developed by Lucid Group Inc. and Nuro Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time next year, thrusting the company into direct competition with Waymo's robotaxi service.
Road testing of the vehicles — Lucid Gravity SUVs outfitted with Nuro's self-driving technology — is currently underway with drivers manually operating them, a Nuro spokesperson said. The first cars in the test fleet were delivered in September, and the number will grow to more than a hundred in the coming months, according to an Uber statement.
The move is a step toward Uber challenging Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo, whose driverless taxis have become ubiquitous in San Francisco. The two companies currently work together to provide Waymo rides on the Uber app in Austin, Atlanta and Phoenix, but Waymo offers its own service in major urban markets like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Next year, Waymo will expand its service to Miami, London and Washington.
Uber, meanwhile, has struck more than a dozen deals with robotaxi developers in the past year — a bet on a future where autonomous vehicles and human drivers complement each other on its platform. That push has included investing hundreds of millions of dollars in both Lucid and Nuro.
NEW GIGS FOR GIG WORKERS\
Robotaxis could offer new gigs for gig workers. Business Insider reported:
As self-driving cars become cheaper and more common, though, there could be a new opportunity for drivers in the world of robotaxis, said Jeremy Bird, Lyft's executive vice president of driver experience.
“The hybrid world of that future might be that the driver is the owner of the vehicle that they are able to put on the platform,” Bird told Business Insider.
Robotaxis could create other jobs as well, such as at the depots that maintain the vehicles, Bird said. The cars would need to be charged and serviced around the clock.
Walter Strobel, who drives for Lyft in the Bay Area and previously ran his own delivery business, said that he would consider taking out a loan to buy vehicles that he could make available to Lyft for rides.
LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, robotaxis, Waymo, and gig worker accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.
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By LegalRideshare
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Boston clamps down on robotaxis, Uber takes on Waymo and gig workers get a new gig. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
BOSTON VS. DRIVERLESS TAXIS
Boston is putting the breaks on driverless taxis. Bloomberg reported:
Boston city councilors are proposing an ordinance that would require Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo and other autonomous ride-share services to have a human operator present in the vehicle.
The legislation would mandate a study on the technology's effects on the employment of current ride-share drivers and prohibit self-driving cars from operating in Boston until that's been completed and other permitting requirements are established. Even then, the cars wouldn't be allowed to operate unless a human safety operator is inside the vehicle and able to intervene, according to the proposed ordinance.
The restrictions are up for possible action at a meeting on Wednesday, though councilors said there are likely to be more hearings on the legislation before it comes to a full vote. Typically, proposals from city councilors that advance must pass through committee and then receive public hearings before the mayor signs off. The exact language of Boston's restrictions on autonomous vehicles could change substantially before anything becomes law.
Boston has been something of a hotbed for autonomous vehicle development. Hyundai Motor Co.-backed Motional is headquartered in the city and has been testing on public roads there since 2016. Boston is also among the cities where Waymo, which is widely considered to be the leader in the space, has been doing mapping and testing work as the company looks to expand service to new US cities.
Ethan Teicher, a spokesperson for Waymo, said in a post on X that the proposal would make Boston the “first major city in the world to ban fully autonomous vehicles based entirely on vibes,” adding that the company's vehicles improve safety. A local Teamsters chapter and other labor unions have protested the rollout of autonomous ride-share services in Massachusetts.
UBER VS WAYMO IN SF
Uber is taking on Waymo in San Fran. Bloomberg reported:
Uber Technologies Inc. is preparing to offer driverless rides on vehicles developed by Lucid Group Inc. and Nuro Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time next year, thrusting the company into direct competition with Waymo's robotaxi service.
Road testing of the vehicles — Lucid Gravity SUVs outfitted with Nuro's self-driving technology — is currently underway with drivers manually operating them, a Nuro spokesperson said. The first cars in the test fleet were delivered in September, and the number will grow to more than a hundred in the coming months, according to an Uber statement.
The move is a step toward Uber challenging Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo, whose driverless taxis have become ubiquitous in San Francisco. The two companies currently work together to provide Waymo rides on the Uber app in Austin, Atlanta and Phoenix, but Waymo offers its own service in major urban markets like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Next year, Waymo will expand its service to Miami, London and Washington.
Uber, meanwhile, has struck more than a dozen deals with robotaxi developers in the past year — a bet on a future where autonomous vehicles and human drivers complement each other on its platform. That push has included investing hundreds of millions of dollars in both Lucid and Nuro.
NEW GIGS FOR GIG WORKERS\
Robotaxis could offer new gigs for gig workers. Business Insider reported:
As self-driving cars become cheaper and more common, though, there could be a new opportunity for drivers in the world of robotaxis, said Jeremy Bird, Lyft's executive vice president of driver experience.
“The hybrid world of that future might be that the driver is the owner of the vehicle that they are able to put on the platform,” Bird told Business Insider.
Robotaxis could create other jobs as well, such as at the depots that maintain the vehicles, Bird said. The cars would need to be charged and serviced around the clock.
Walter Strobel, who drives for Lyft in the Bay Area and previously ran his own delivery business, said that he would consider taking out a loan to buy vehicles that he could make available to Lyft for rides.
LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, robotaxis, Waymo, and gig worker accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.