Workers erupt over DC plan to bring robotaxis to city streets: ‘This is bulls—’ | Latest Tech News
A new proposal that may bring driverless rideshare autos to the streets of the nation’s capital is inflicting an uproar among union staff, drivers and non secular leaders who worry the technology may remove jobs.
Protesters gathered outdoors the John Wilson Building as D.C. council members met to talk about laws that would enable Waymo and other autonomous vehicle operators to offer industrial rides in Washington, D.C. The protesters urged the council to reject the laws, arguing that an inflow of robotaxis would displace rideshare drivers.
“We came out here today strongly because we feel that these robotaxis will put people out of work,” one protester told Fox News Digital. “And people need jobs.”
“I’m against robotaxis because it takes away from the community, it takes away from their jobs, it takes away food from their table,” Frederick from Virginia said.
He continued, “People need jobs to be able to support their family.”
“It’s bulls – – -,” Sabrina from Washington, D.C., said. “Let’s not bring robots taking my neighbor’s jobs. My folks that drive for a living, let’s just not take their jobs.”
Another particular person at the protest acknowledged that autonomous autos may remove some driving jobs but argued the city ought to “take the offensive” by shortening the workweek without cutting pay and increasing employment elsewhere.
Demonstrators maintain indicators studying “Rally Against Waymo’s Robotaxis” during a protest in Washington, D.C. Getty Images
“We should take the offensive on job issues,” Michael from Washington, D.C., said. “We should shorten the workweek, without a loss in pay. So we’ll create more jobs in public transportation, in hospitals, in service industries. So we actually maybe will lose some jobs to taxi drivers, but we’ll create better paying jobs.”
The Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026 — launched by Councilmember Charles Allen in May — would create a program for industrial autonomous autos in D.C. that can be run by the District Department of Transportation.
Waymo says its latest security data, protecting more than 270 million miles of autonomous driving, reveals its autos had been concerned in 82% fewer injury-causing crashes and 95% fewer crashes involving critical accidents or worse in contrast with human-driver benchmarks in the same working areas.
Supporters of robotaxis have also pointed to the potential for decrease fares without a human driver, although current comparisons have discovered Waymo’s costs can fluctuate widely and aren’t constantly cheaper than conventional rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft.
D.C. is buzzing with outrage as a new proposal may unleash driverless robotaxis, sparking fears of large job losses. Getty Images
Protesters claimed that while costs could also be decrease as the driverless autos roll out, the charges will finally spike.
“That’s just something just to…get our antennas up and have us saying, ‘Yeah, ooo, we’re gonna get cheaper rides,’” Sabrina said. “It might be cheap for the trial periods, and then all of a sudden we’ll be paying $50. So no, I don’t believe that. That’s just some crap just to get people engaged with the Waymo.”
“They seem the same price to me,” Helen from Maryland said. “They’re in other cities and it seems like not much of a difference in the pricing.”
The proposed regulatory framework, which may bring robotaxis to the city by 2028, would initially restrict operators to 200 autos. Companies in search of industrial permits would have to display at least 180 days and 250,000 miles of autonomous vehicle testing in the District and submit plans aimed at lowering disparities in service availability and wait occasions across the city’s eight wards.
The proposed framework would cap robotaxis at 200 autos and requires in depth testing before hitting D.C. streets. AFP via Getty Images
There was a public listening to on the invoice in July, but no vote has been scheduled. The invoice would have to be authorized by all the council before self-driving vehicles start to hit the city’s streets.
“A worker should be at the table,” Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO President Samuel Epps told Fox News Digital at the protest. “We shouldn’t rush this.”
“I don’t think it’s good for the city,” Eddie said. “If my children gonna get in a car, I would prefer for a human to be driving.”
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