In cities like San Francisco and Phoenix, autonomous vehicles are a part of everyday life thanks to Waymo. This year, the company deployed manned vehicles to map the streets of Greater Boston, seemingly paving the way for it to bring its fleet of self-driving cars to the area in the near future. But a number of significant roadblocks remain, and a deep skepticism, if not outright hostility, is palpable among many local officials.
That distrust was on full display Thursday, when the Boston City Council hosted a hearing on the possibility of autonomous vehicles (AVs) operating in the city.
As Waymo representatives touted the company’s safety record and other potential benefits, officials from within the Wu administration stressed that they still had many questions about whether Boston is right for AV deployment. Councilors echoed this hesitancy, while labor leaders and the drivers who could potentially be replaced voiced their deep concerns. After the hearing, a number of councilors joined union members for an anti-AV rally outside City Hall.
Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, says that it has no definite plans for a commercial launch in Boston, and that it wants a robust conversation with local leaders and stakeholders. Legislation is pending on Beacon Hill that would create a regulatory framework for AVs in Massachusetts, and the company could face a steep uphill battle there. Even if some versions of those bills are passed, officials in Boston appear ready to slow-roll the introduction of AVs.
Councilors Henry Santana and Erin Murphy introduced an ordinance Thursday that would create an advisory council to assess how AVs would impact public safety, traffic, local businesses, and much more. The measure would also kickstart a full public study on the potential disruptions AVs would cause, before the company could launch in Boston.
The ordinance, Santana said, is explicitly meant to protect local jobs from “robotaxi takeover.”
“A lot of these drivers are our most vulnerable residents, our immigrant residents, people who are living paycheck to paycheck,” he said.
Read the full article here: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2025/07/25/waymo-and-its-self-driving-cars-face-steep-opposition-in-boston/
Published: Aug 5, 2025
