Earlier this year, Waymo, a leading self-driving car company that operates “robotaxis” in several cities across the country, began deploying its vehicles in Boston to begin mapping the city.
Although the mapping cars were operated by humans and the company has not yet announced plans to expand its service to Boston, the initiative sparked conversations at both the city and state levels about how to prepare for the potential impacts of driverless technology.
City officials and labor leaders told city councilors during a hearing on Thursday that, in addition to fears about autonomous vehicles’ (AVs) ability to safely navigate Boston if Waymo expanded to the city, it would significantly jeopardize existing rideshare and taxi drivers’ ability to make a living."
The hearing was attended by a large group of rideshare drivers, who also staged a protest outside City Hall after the hearing.
“Waymo and other companies that are putting driverless cars and trucks on our roads like to describe themselves as people who are working toward a utopian future. Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Teamsters Local 25 Secretary-Treasurer Steven South. “This company is steamrolling into cities throughout our country without concern for the policymakers, workers or residents who live there.”
Last year, drivers for rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft gained the right to form a union through a statewide ballot initiative.
In response to job concerns, Matt Walsh, Waymo’s regional head of state and public policy, stated that the company is creating jobs, estimating that 100,000 new jobs will be generated in the AV industry over the next decade. While they do not have drivers for individual trips, the service is still supported locally by mechanics and people who keep the cars clean.
The company is working on ways to increase opportunities for people to enter the industry’s job pipeline, he said, such as a recent partnership with Bronx Community College in New York to develop a specialized curriculum.
“What people fail to see, because they don’t see it as a customer, is the sheer number of people that are involved in making this service work,” he said. “Yes, it’s a driverless car, but at the end of the day, we count on the incredibly hardworking individuals that work at Waymo and our partners to make that service work.”
As Waymo explores expansion to Boston, he added, residents here will not switch completely over to driverless rides “overnight,” and the service is intended more as an additional transportation option rather than a replacement for Uber and Lyft.
However, City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who chairs the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation, said in other cities, Waymo has already taken up a large chunk of the ride-hailing market. She cited recent news reports that the company accounts for about 20% of Uber rides in Austin, just a few months into its launch there, and 27% of rideshare trips in San Francisco.
City officials said they are examining how a Waymo deployment could impact Boston’s economy, such as the effect on restaurants that use app delivery services or the potential loss of wages that drivers would otherwise reinvest in local businesses. However, they said there is not yet enough data to determine the overall effects.
The safety of passengers and other road users was also a big concern for city councilors and officials.
Walsh said the company has seen 88% fewer crashes involving serious injuries and 79% fewer airbag deployments when compared to human drivers.
But others said those numbers don’t show the whole picture. There’s the possibility of blocking traffic or bike and bus lanes while waiting for passengers, potentially forcing other vehicles into dangerous situations, or even obstructing emergency vehicles.
“Imagine a Waymo stuck at a light in a narrow North End street with a fire truck behind it trying to get through,” Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston’s chief of streets, said. “How does that vehicle respond in that situation? Does it do the right thing to make sure that it’s protecting public safety? These kinds of concerns don’t show up in the stats.”
Others emphasized the importance of having a human driver to assist passengers in the event of a medical or other emergency. Boston Firefighters IAFF Local 718 President Sam Dillon gave the example of a passenger having a heart attack or an overdose in the backseat, saying that in an Uber or Lyft, the driver could call 911 immediately, shortening the time before first responders arrive.
Boston’s unique streets, laid out centuries ago before cars were invented, along with its harsh winter weather, set the city apart from other cities where Waymo is already operating. Currently, the company offers its service in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin and Phoenix, Arizona and has plans to expand to Miami, Florida, and Washington, D.C., next year.
Franklin-Hodge noted that Waymo and other AV companies had started out in Phoenix because the Arizona city was “built for the car” with easily navigable streets and no winter weather.
“As anyone who has driven on Boston streets will tell you, driving here is not like driving in the rest of the country,” he said. “Even if Waymos can operate safely in Boston, if every Waymo drives like a confused out-of-state tourist, we will very quickly find them unwelcome on the streets of Boston.”
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