"The permit is still in place, and Waymo's plans for New York City are still likely to move ahead, as Hochul's rescinded proposal governed areas outside the Big Apple. The Alphabet subsidiary, which offers paid driverless rides to the public in cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with parts of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta and other cities, was hoping to grow its already sizable foothold in the robotaxi market and tap into a large pool of new users."
"Self-driving operations already face a difficult path to commercialization, as the technology has been under heavy scrutiny over safety concerns after accidents, though Waymo's safety record has not recorded major injuries like General Motors' Cruise, which shut down after one of its cars dragged a woman through an intersection in San Francisco. Autonomous vehicles are already driving down accident rates and improving pedestrian safety in Arizona, California and Texas."
Governor Kathy Hochul withdrew a proposal to allow commercial robotaxi services in smaller cities outside New York City after stakeholders and legislators showed insufficient support. The decision limits expansion opportunities for Alphabet's Waymo, which holds a permit to test autonomous vehicles in New York City with a trained specialist behind the wheel. Waymo said it remains committed to bringing service to New York and will work with the state legislature. Self-driving operations face heavy safety scrutiny after accidents, though supporters point to reduced accident rates and improved pedestrian safety where autonomous vehicles operate.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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