The D.C. Council slammed the brakes Thursday afternoon on robotaxis in the nation’s capital. Three members of the transportation committee, including Mayor-elect Janeese Lewis George (D), killed a compromise that would have given critics of autonomous vehicles most of the concessions they’ve sought. Instead of admitting that they’re opposed to a technology that has proved itself useful and extraordinarily safe, they’ve made excuses and insisted that what they need is more time.
“Rushing the legalization of autonomous vehicles is irresponsible,” said Lewis George (D-Ward 4), a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. “I find it ridiculous to rush this vote,” said council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5). The three unions fighting driverless cars also called the deal “rushed.”
Calling this rushed is preposterous. In 2012, the council passed legislation outlining protocols for driverless cars. In 2020, the council passed a law requiring the city’s transportation department to draft regulations for safely deploying AVs by 2022. Waymos, with humans behind the wheel as a precaution, have test-driven more than 300,000 miles on the District’s roads since 2024.
Over four years as chairman of the transportation committee, council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) has worked in good faith to build consensus on deploying robotaxis. In July, he hosted a 10½-hour public hearing on the subject that featured testimony from disability advocates, legal experts, unions, urbanists, bicyclists and representatives from three city agencies.
Allen formulated what seems to be the most progressive AV bill of any city in the country. He extracted surprising and costly concessions from the robotaxi industry, including a timeline to add wheelchair-accessible vehicles to their fleets and a deal to let workers unionize at AV maintenance depots. The companies agreed to pay a tax of 7.5 cents per mile traveled, some of which would go toward job retraining and other support for displaced ride-share and taxi drivers.
Lewis George expressed concern about Uber and Lyft drivers losing work, but these are often contractors who drive as a side gig to earn some extra money. By her own estimate, only about 200 D.C. residents drive the equivalent of full-time hours.
Nevertheless, to assuage her concerns, Allen watered down his legislation so that no more than 200 Waymos could deploy in D.C. and no more than 800 robotaxis would be allowed citywide. That’s a small fraction of the thousands of ride-share vehicles currently on the roads during peak hours. Competitors include Tesla and Zoox, which is owned by Amazon, whose executive chairman, Jeff Bezos, owns The Post.
Waymo has been offering fully autonomous taxi service to the public for six years. Originally launched in Phoenix, the service has expanded to 15 metro areas, spanning the continent from San Francisco to Atlanta. Over that time, the company’s data shows an enviable safety record. As of June, Waymo vehicles had driven almost 300 million fully driverless miles, with 95 percent fewer serious injuries or worse than human drivers covering a comparable number of miles.
Autonomous vehicles would undoubtedly make D.C.’s streets safer. Since the beginning of the year, 37 people have lost their lives to traffic fatalities in the city, up 68 percent from this time last year. Robotaxis don’t drive drunk or distracted, and women also don’t need to worry about getting into a car with a male driver they don’t know.
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) called the rejection of the robotaxi bill on Thursday an “embarrassment” for the city. He took umbrage at suggestions that AV technology is untested. Also supporting Allen’s measure was council member Christina Henderson (I-At Large). But a 3-3 tie killed the bill.
This development is a big red flag for civic leaders who already fear crushing tax hikes on the horizon and an incoming mayor who is openly hostile to free markets. Meanwhile, Virginia and Maryland may move ahead with robotaxi proposals in their next legislative sessions. Fourteen years ago, D.C. was regarded as a national leader in the nascent movement toward autonomous vehicles. Now, alas, antibusiness D.C. politicians are in the driver’s seat.
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