New bill would allow self-driving cars to drive in New York state

As a self-driving car Alphabet services Waymothat of Amazon ZooxAnd Tesla have slowly and quietly expanded across the United States, a large and important state has remained largely silent: new York.

The fourth most populous state in the union has some of the strictest laws governing autonomous vehicles, requiring companies licensed to conduct tests in the state to do so only with a driver behind the wheel. There is currently no way for companies to operate the type of commercial robo-taxi services like those seen in San Francisco or Las Vegas.

But that could be about to change. Tuesday, as part of its annual congress State AddressGov. Kathy Hochul is set to announce that she is proposing legislation that would expand New York’s current regulations to allow companies to operate limited commercial self-driving car services in cities across the state, her office confirmed Monday. Robotaxi pilot programs would only be approved if companies submit applications “demonstrating local support” for deploying their technology, as well as strong safety records. The program would exclude New York City.

“This program will make our roads safer and improve mobility options for communities outside of New York City,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. She said state agencies would “ensure that these pilots are conducted to the highest safety standards.”

If passed, the legislation would leave one thing unclear: how self-driving technology developers could move from providing limited services in New York cities to operating large-scale commercial operations, like those Waymo runs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Further information on how commercial robotaxi services could be fully launched in the state would come “in the future,” Hochul’s office said.

New York City, the largest metropolis in the country, has its own autonomous vehicle test permit program but does not have a path allowing vehicles to circulate without a driver on its busy streets. Waymo has a permit to test eight vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn; this permit will expire at the end of March. The eight vehicles are also not allowed to circulate without a safety driver at the wheel, nor to take passengers.

If passed, Hochul’s legislation would mark a serious victory for self-driving car developers, who view large, urbanized states, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington and New York, as the juiciest targets for legislation allowing the operation of commercial robo-taxi services. Other states, including California, Texas and Arizona, have passed laws clearly outlining how tech companies could move from testing to limited pilot programs and then to full-fledged commercial services.

State Records show that Waymo spent more than $370,000 last year lobbying New York state officials and lawmakers on transportation and telecommunications issues. The company currently operates driverless services in five cities (Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta) and plans to launch services in a dozen more, including LondonThis year.