New proposed legislation would allow self-driving cars in New York state

As a self-driving car services from Alphabet’s Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla have slowly and quietly expanded across the US, but one big, important state has remained largely silent: New York.

The union’s fourth-most populous state has some of the strictest autonomous vehicle laws, with companies approved to test in the state only allowed to do so with a driver behind the wheel. There is currently no path for companies to operate the kind of commercial robotaxi services you see in San Francisco or Las Vegas.

But that could change. On Tuesday, as part of her annual State addressGovernor Kathy Hochul will soon announce that she is proposing legislation that would expand New York’s current regulations to allow companies to operate limited commercial self-driving car services in cities across the state, her office confirmed Monday. Pilot robotaxi programs would only be approved if the companies submit applications that “demonstrate local support” for deploying their technology, as well as robust safety records. The program would exclude New York City.

“This program will make our roads safer and improve mobility options for communities outside New York City,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. She said government agencies would “ensure these pilots are conducted in accordance with the highest safety standards.”

If the law passes, one thing would remain unclear: how developers of self-driving technology could move from offering limited services in New York cities to operating large-scale commercial operations, like the kind Waymo operates in the San Francisco Bay Area. More information on how commercial robotaxi services could be fully launched in the state would come “in the future,” Hochul’s office said.

New York City, the largest metropolis in the country, has its own metropolis autonomous vehicle testing program but has no path allowing the vehicles to travel on the busy streets without drivers. Waymo is licensed to test eight vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn; that permit expires at the end of March. The eight vehicles are also not allowed to drive without a safety driver behind the wheel, or to pick up passengers.

If passed, Hochul’s legislation would represent a serious win for self-driving car developers, who have seen large, urbanized states like Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington and New York as the juiciest targets for legislation allowing the operation of commercial robotaxi services. Other states, including California, Texas and Arizona, have laws on the books that clearly spell out how the tech companies can move from testing to limited pilot programs and then to full commercial services.

Waymo did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

State registrations show that Waymo spent more than $370,000 last year lobbying New York State officials and lawmakers on transportation and telecommunications issues. The company currently operates self-driving services in five cities – Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta – and plans to launch services in a dozen more cities this year, including London.

Update, Jan. 12, 9:10 p.m.: This story has been updated to report that Waymo did not respond to a request for comment.