Overview
- A daylong D.C. Council hearing on Monday drew hours of testimony and a union-led protest as drivers, disability advocates, city officials, Waymo, and Uber debated a bill to allow commercial driverless rides in the District.
- The proposed Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Act would create a city permitting program, require first-responder plans and contingency operations, limit operators to 200 vehicles through Jan. 1, 2028, and impose a $0.15 per-mile VMT fee to fund transit and retraining.
- The bill sets steep upfront costs and insurance thresholds, including a reported $1 million application fee, a $5 million nonrefundable permit charge, and $5 million in liability coverage, which critics say could block smaller entrants.
- Uber is actively lobbying for legal language that would require or favor 'hybrid networks'—platforms that match riders to human drivers or robotaxis—and in New Jersey circulated draft text that would have required 85% of rides be human‑driven for a transition period.
- Waymo says it opposes rules that limit network types and supports clear safe-deployment standards, leaving the Council to weigh safety, competition, worker displacement, and market concentration before finalizing the law.