Driverless taxis in NYC? Keep Waymo off the streets, say union protesters

Livery drivers with the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers rallied outside Gov. Hochul’s midtown office on Monday, calling for an end to the city’s testing of driverless taxi cars by tech giant Waymo.

“Taxi and livery drivers risk their lives every day to transport New Yorkers safely,” NYSFTD president Steven Rivera said in a statement. “Robots cannot replace human instinct, compassion, or accountability.”

Monday’s rally, in which about a dozen drivers showed up outside Hochul’s office, comes days after Mayor Adams’ announcement on Friday that the city had approved an application by the Google subsidiary, allowing it to test eight driverless cars in Downtown Brooklyn and in Manhattan south of 110th St.

The cars will still be required to have humans in the driver seat, and Waymo will have to file a report with the city each time the human driver has to take over for the robotaxi.

City and state law forbids the eight cars from acting as taxis during the test period, and Waymo has not applied for plates with the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Nevertheless, Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the Federation of Taxi Drivers, said the test was a grave threat to his members’ livelihood.

“Cancer starts with a dot and then it spreads,” Mateo told The News Monday. “This is a cancer to us.”

All three organizations representing Gotham’s taxi, livery and ride-share drivers have now called on the city to end testing and protect the jobs of human drivers.

Last week, Brendan Sexton, head of the Independent Drivers Guild, accused Adams of turning Gothamites into “lab rats for Silicon Valley investors who are seeking to destroy the livelihoods of the 100,000 New Yorkers.”

Bhairavi Desai, head of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, questioned whether there was any real consumer demand.

“If you don’t want to be around people, there’s plenty of other places to live around the country,” Desai told the Daily News Friday. “Does New York really need a driverless car to feel advanced?”

Asked about the rally, Sean Butler, a spokesman for Hochul, emphasized that the state was ensuring the safety of any driverless technology testing.

“State law establishes clear procedures for permitting of autonomous vehicle testing, with the highest safety standards applied,” he said in a statement. “New York State will continue to work with New York City officials to ensure the safety of any testing program.”

Waymo began lobbying in June for New York to allow fully autonomous robotaxis on city streets, a move that is currently prohibited by state law.

In July, the company began running its vehicles — identifiable by their spinning, roof-mounted sensor system — along city streets, but always with a human in full control.

Last week, less than two months later, the city’s Transportation Department approved Waymo’s plans to let computers begin to take the wheel — albeit with a human ready to jump in if need be.

A law that would allow autonomous vehicle operation in the state is currently before the Transportation Committee of the State Senate, but is spinning its wheels in the Assembly.

With Barry Williams