Are Robotaxis on the Way to New York City?

• NYC establishes standards for autonomous vehicle testing, requiring a safety driver behind the wheel at all times, in addition to other mandates.
• Autonomous tech developers have largely avoided testing in New York, preferring the more AV-friendly states on the West Coast where they have also recently launched operations on a limited scale.
• Most of the focus of autonomous tech companies is in the west and in the south, but profitable operations are still seen as something further in the future.

New York City probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when we think of «autonomous vehicle testing.» Nevertheless, it is home to the largest taxi fleet in the US and is also home to plenty of ride-hailing app drivers.

As such, it was perhaps inevitable that we would eventually see some interest from robotaxi developers, even though most of the efforts have been seen in AV-friendly states and cities on the West Coast.

New York City has now introduced what it calls «a rigorous permitting program» for autonomous vehicle developers wishing to test driving tech of various SAE levels in the city.

But the program will still require a trained safety driver to be behind the wheel at all times. And applicant companies will also need to submit detailed testing and safety plans, as well as information on their technological capabilities and their previous testing experience, in addition to a long list of other requirements.

So it's far from a green light for robotaxis to appear overnight.

«Autonomous vehicles aren't just coming, they're here—they've been successfully operating across the country for years,» said Deputy Mayor for Operations  Meera Joshi. «We are doing our due diligence to get ahead of the AV revolution, and ensure that if AVs are coming, they do so within a framework that benefits New Yorkers, and creates training and good, upwardly mobile jobs in the autonomous industry.»

The good news for taxi drivers and ride-hailing drivers is that under the requirements of this permitting program, robotaxis are definitely not imminent in NYC and the five boroughs, so their jobs are safe from being taken over by automation for now.

Another bit of good news for the