In August, the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams for approving Waymo’s request to test their “experimental” autonomous vehicles (AVs) on city streets. According to IDG president, Brendan Sexton, “The streets of New York City are not the place to experiment with dangerous, untested, 5,000 lb. driverless vehicles. Mayor Adams is putting the lives of all New Yorkers at risk. We call on the mayor to reverse this mistake before these cars are responsible for anyone getting hurt, or worse.”
IDG recently launched a petition opposing driverless cars in NY, quickly amassing more than 5,000 signatures. They are asking more drivers to sign the petition, which can be found at: bit.ly/NoDriverlessCarsPetition.
“Driverless cars have clogged streets, obstructed emergency vehicles, and caused accidents, injuries and even deaths,” noted Sexton. “They are a threat to pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers. We already have the best, safest for-hire vehicle sector in the nation here in New York City. Why risk the lives of New Yorkers for a dangerous experimental system that is seeking to eliminate the jobs of 100,000 New Yorkers?”
On Aug. 25, app-hail, black car, taxi and livery drivers licensed by NYC’s Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) rallied outside Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office to protest the city’s decision to allow Waymo to test self-driving cars in parts of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn.
“My concern is that it is going to put our drivers out of business and many of our companies out of business,” said Chanel Hernandez, owner of black car service, AKI Mobility. “We already have a lot of saturation in this industry, for many years now, with rideshare companies coming in.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Hochul said public safety is a top priority and that state law requires strict permitting procedures for autonomous vehicle testing – but opponents continue to raise concerns about safety in one of the nation’s busiest traffic environments. These concerns highlight an ongoing tension within the gig economy, where advances in technology continuously collide with the security of traditional employment, an article in Hoodline noted.
Sources: Independent Drivers Guild, NY1, Hoodline
