The city of New York announced a new permit system for companies interested in testing autonomous vehicles on its roads, which includes the requirement that a human safety driver sits behind the wheel at all times. Curious approval.
While cities like San Francisco continue to grapple with the issues posed by driverless rental vehicles, New York City is trying to get ahead of the problem by outlining what it calls “a rigorous permitting program” that, it claims, will ensure that applicants are “prepared to safely and competently test their technology in the country’s most challenging urban environment.”
“This technology is going to arrive whether we like it or not,” said Mayor Eric Adams in statements to The Verge, “so we are going to make sure to do it right.”
What will New York’s robotaxis be like
The requirements would exclude companies without previous experience in autonomous vehicle testing in other cities. Applicants would have to provide information on previous tests, including details on any accidents that have occurred and the frequency with which safety drivers have to take control of the vehicle.
And in what will surely be the most controversial provision: driverless vehicles will not be allowed to conduct tests on public roads in the city; only vehicles with safety drivers will be permitted.
A small handful of companies, including Waymo and Cruise, have deployed driverless vehicles, also known as level 4 automation, but issues related to traffic congestion and safety have hindered their deployment.
Last October, a driverless Cruise vehicle dragged a pedestrian over six meters to the sidewalk on a street in San Francisco, leading regulators to suspend the company’s operating permit.
Several months later, a driverless Waymo vehicle hit a cyclist, causing minor injuries. San Francisco city officials have criticized both companies for blocking roads and obstructing buses and emergency vehicles.
The city of New York hopes to avoid similar issues by requiring companies to have security drivers in vehicles at all times.
Car manufacturers and technology companies testing electric vehicles tend to flock to states with more favorable regulations (such as Arizona and Texas) or to locations closer to their headquarters (such as California).
New York is neither one nor the other, but it represents one of the largest taxi markets in the world and, therefore, is a suitable target for robotaxi companies.
