Cities Like NYC Shouldn’t Fall For Robotaxi Hype: David Zipper

On March 31, New York City ended its first experiment with robotaxis, as a modest pilot of eight autonomous vehicles operated by the Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Waymo was allowed to expire. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is showing no eagerness to revive it — let alone begin a broader deployment. Even as Waymo and rival robotaxi companies Zoox and Tesla announce expansions into cities from Seattle to Miami, New York City’s driverless future remains very much in doubt.

Boosters of autonomous vehicles have castigated Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who in February withdrew a proposal to permit commercial AV ...