A decade after Uber disrupted New York’s yellow taxi industry, another tech giant, Waymo, is set to test autonomous taxis in Manhattan. The robot-driven car service, owned by Alphabet, has applied for a permit to operate a small fleet of self-driving vehicles in a designated zone.
The pilot aims to prove the safety of autonomous cars on NYC’s chaotic streets, but the prospect faces strong opposition from taxi drivers’ unions. Waymo officials claim that human cabbies can co-exist with robot drivers, but many fear for their livelihoods as the company lobbies lawmakers to remove the ban on driverless taxis.
The arrival of app-based services like Uber and Lyft in NYC has already had a devastating impact on the city’s taxi industry. The number of yellow taxi medallions fell from over 13,500 to just 1,800 in 2020, forcing many drivers into financial ruin. Eight taxi drivers died by suicide in 2018.
Waymo representatives argue that autonomous vehicles will exist side-by-side with human drivers for years to come, creating new job opportunities for mechanics and fleet managers. However, the company’s track record is uncertain, having recalled over 1,200 driverless cars due to software bugs.
The benefits of autonomous taxis in NYC are unclear, but critics warn that tech giants like Waymo will use their resources to influence consumer appetite and demand, ultimately threatening the livelihoods of city drivers.
Source: https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-cab-drivers-fear-death-of-industry-as-waymo-aims-to-launch-for-driverless-taxis