Hochul’s self-driving for-hire AV pilot program draws anxiety from NYC groups, pols

Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged on Tuesday to introduce a bill paving the way for testing self-driving for-hire autonomous vehicles (AV) outside of New York City — but elected officials and activists in the Big Apple expressed anxiety over the idea.

The policy book that accompanied the governor’s annual State of the State address said she plans to put forward a measure that will “advance the next phase” of a state-run pilot program by allowing the “limited deployment” of the for-hire AVs in parts of the state other than the five boroughs.

AV companies interested in piloting their self-driving technology in specific parts of the state will have to put in applications that “demonstrate local support” for participating in the program, the policy book reads. Similar to arguments advanced by other AV proponents, Hochul’s office wrote that the devices have the potential to improve road safety and provide more travel options.

However, the governor’s proposed embrace of self-driving cars drew skepticism from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Hizzoner, during a Tuesday night news conference, in which he appointed Midori Valdivia as the city’s next Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) head, said he would not speak to the governor’s proposal because it would not directly affect the city.

“I do take the arrival of autonomous vehicles very seriously,” Mamdani told reporters, “and will always make sure that our policy and our decision-making is focused on the drivers who are here alongside me, in front of me, behind me, who keep our city moving.”

Mamdani was referring to for-hire vehicle drivers who were gathered with him for the news conference at La Guardia Airport in Queens.

AV testing in NYC

But the city has already taken steps to pilot AVs on its streets.

The city’s Department of Transportation began allowing the self-driving car company Waymo to test its vehicles, albeit with trained drivers behind the wheel, in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn in September. Waymo’s permit to test eight AVs, which was issued by former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, will be active through March 31 of this year.

Under current city regulations, companies like Waymo are not permitted to offer for-hire rides within the city.

Hochul’s proposal drew backlash from safe streets advocates and for-hire-vehicle driver groups.

Gov. Kathy Hochul delivering her State of the State address.(Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

The detractors cited concerns that there is still not enough evidence to show that self-driving cars are safer than manually operated vehicles and that they have the potential to put for-hire drivers out of a job.

The group Open Plans, in a lengthy statement, said Hochul’s plan should be met with “serious scrutiny.”

“There is no evidence that AVs help us achieve our goals to make our state or city’s streets more people-centered,” the group said. “While exempting New York City from this program is critical, there are still too many unanswered questions to allow fully driverless AVs anywhere in New York State.”

The group added that while the pilot does not include the Big Apple, AV companies have “made clear their intentions to enter New York City.” It also cautioned that the state should make data gathered from the pilot available to outside experts for analysis, while holding AV companies to account for traffic law violations.

Ira Goldstein, executive director of the Black Car Fund, in a statement, said the governor’s pilot could be a slippery slope to eliminating for-hire-vehicle driver positions.

“This is not about geography. It is about trajectory,” Goldstein said. “Authorizing driverless for-hire vehicles anywhere in New York sends a clear signal that the state is willing to put experimental technology on public roads at the direct expense of working drivers and the jobs they rely on. Once that happens, expansion is not hypothetical. It is inevitable.”