New York City Welcomes Robotaxis to the Big Apple – with One Catch

New York City has introduced a permitting system for companies seeking to test robotaxis on its streets, with one major catch — the city is mandating the presence of human safety drivers at all times.

The Verge reports that Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced the city’s proactive approach to regulating the testing of self-driving vehicles, acknowledging that the technology is inevitable but must be implemented correctly. The new permitting program aims to ensure that applicants are prepared to safely and proficiently test their technology in the challenging urban environment of New York City.

The permitting process includes several strict requirements that companies must meet to be eligible for testing. Applicants must provide information from previous tests conducted in other cities, including details on crashes and instances where safety drivers had to intervene. Notably, the city will not allow fully driverless vehicles to be tested on public roads; only vehicles with human safety drivers will be permitted.

This decision comes as cities like San Francisco grapple with issues related to fully driverless for-hire vehicles, such as traffic obstruction and safety concerns. New York City hopes to avoid similar problems by requiring safety drivers to remain behind the wheel at all times.

In addition to obtaining a permit from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, companies must provide details on their safety driver hiring and training processes. They must also attest to following best practices set forth by the Society of Automotive Engineers and submit assurance protocols for compensating for any AV system limitations or failures.

Data from autonomous vehicle (AV) testing will eventually be made available on the city’s Open Data portal, with the Department of Transportation reviewing requests from applicants to withhold certain data on the basis of confidentiality.

Read more at the Verge here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.