Nonprofit Pushes for Driverless Taxis in New York After Study Flaws Emerge

A new nonprofit organization, "A Better Road Forward," is actively working to introduce driverless robotaxis, such as those developed by Waymo, into New York. This initiative comes after a study intended to demonstrate the dangers of autonomous vehicles was found to have significant analytical errors.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, concluded its pilot program for autonomous driving in New York City in March. However, the company continues to operate vehicles within the city, equipped with human drivers, for the purpose of data collection. "A Better Road Forward" plans to launch television advertisements targeting voters and organize informational meetings across the state.

"For too many New Yorkers, safe and reliable ways to get around still depend on where you live," stated former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is involved with the advocacy group. "The women and families I work with know that better than anyone — a late shift, a subway that doesn’t come, a stretch of street you don’t want to walk alone at night."

Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul halted a planned expansion of Waymo's operations in upstate New York. This decision followed opposition from taxi drivers and labor unions. Companies interested in participating in autonomous vehicle pilot programs can still submit applications through the State Department of Motor Vehicles and the city Department of Transportation.

A recent report issued by groups critical of robotaxis was forced to retract a substantial portion of its findings. The report had initially claimed that Waymos were more dangerous than traditional taxis and rideshare services. The authors inaccurately compared New York City's narrow definition of "critical injury"—injuries requiring life support in the ICU—with Waymo's broader "serious injury" classification, which encompasses injuries like fractures and severe cuts that are not life-threatening.

According to a corrected analysis, Waymo's reported injury crash rate was 0.712 per million miles nationwide. This contrasts with the 1.871 per million miles rate for New York City taxis and for-hire vehicles, indicating a rate approximately 62% lower for Waymo vehicles. The second version of the report's comparison of crashes involving deaths or serious injuries was based on a limited sample of three Waymo-involved crashes nationwide.

The report was published shortly after Sam Schwartz released "Autokill," a fictional book that depicted a terrorist plot involving autonomous vehicles. Representatives from the Sam Schwartz Transportation Research Program at Hunter College did not respond to requests for comment.

"We’re eager to work with the administration and with leaders around that state to create a thoughtful policy framework that allows for the deployment of autonomous vehicles," a Waymo spokesperson told The Post.