New York Kills Robotaxi Proposal, Dealing Blow to Waymo
Governor Hochul pulls plan that would have opened robotaxi services outside NYC, hitting Waymo's ambitious growth targets.
New York just slammed the brakes on robotaxis. Governor Kathy Hochul has withdrawn a proposal that would have greenlit commercial autonomous taxi services outside New York City.
The move is a direct hit to Waymo, which has been aggressively expanding its driverless ride-hailing operations across the US. The Alphabet-owned company has a bold target: one million paid weekly rides by the end of 2026.
Losing access to broader New York state — one of the country's most densely populated regions — makes that goal significantly harder to reach.
The decision highlights the ongoing regulatory tug-of-war around autonomous vehicles. While cities like San Francisco and Phoenix have embraced robotaxis, New York continues to pump the brakes. For Waymo, the road to a million rides just got longer.