Opinion: Get Waymos off our streets
After a successful 5 years of operation in Arizona, self-driving Waymos have returned to New York, where they collected weather data in 2021. However, despite the novelty of self-driving cars, New York State and Governor Kathy Hochul must resist the deployment of Waymo's autonomous cars.
Threats to Jobs and Culture
The introduction of Waymo's autonomous! cars poses a significant threat to the roughly 130,000 taxi and for-hire drivers in New York City, who face potential career loss. This is reminiscent of 2015, when Uber and Lyft expanded to New York, outnumbering cabs 5.2 to 1.
New York City's unique culture and identity, particularly its cab system, will be degraded by the presence of self-driving cars.
Unsuitability for New York City
The city's unpredictable pedestrian and street life ecosystem makes it highly ill-suited for autonomous cars, which could lead to safety concerns and other issues.
Author's summary: Waymos pose a threat to NYC jobs and culture.