Washington DC Robotaxi Rules: Uber and Waymo Clash

Uber and Waymo are already operating on opposite sides of a bill before the D.C. Council that would permit autonomous vehicles to run in Washington, D.C. The companies have exchanged views through private correspondence and public testimony over the past several weeks.

Uber opposes the measure. The company contends that the legislation would push out human drivers who work for ride-hailing services and effectively grant Waymo an early monopoly in the market. Uber has instead pushed for rules that would force robotaxis to share a platform with human drivers.

Testing thresholds and fees draw industry pushback

A Monday hearing before the council brought in representatives from Lyft, Tesla, Uber and Waymo, as well as disability advocates, labor unions, safety groups and local business organizations. Tesla senior policy adviser India Herdman raised objections to the bill’s 180-day and 250,000-mile testing mandate, a $1 million application fee, a $5 million permit fee and a $0.15-per-mile tax. Other developers echoed the same concerns and asked that testing miles logged elsewhere be credited toward the requirement.

Waymo, which has already conducted testing with safety operators in the district, has cleared both the time and mileage thresholds. If the bill passes in its current form, the company would gain at least a six-month lead before competitors could enter the market. Insiders say the hybrid platform model favored by Uber has little prospect of becoming law.

Broader mobility and tech updates

Elsewhere in the sector, Uber announced a $14.8 billion agreement to acquire Delivery Hero, which would expand its delivery operations into nearly 100 new markets. Delivery Hero separately agreed to sell businesses in 14 markets to SSW Partners for $1.6 billion. Other moves included a $65 million Series B for Senra and a $10 million round for Self Inspection.

The National Transportation Safety Board reported that a Tesla driver who struck a house in June had pressed the accelerator to full throttle, overriding the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving software. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie separately called for stricter state rules after Waymo vehicles stalled during July 4 traffic and blocked streets. Zoox issued a software recall following an incident in which one of its vehicles became confused by smoke at a fire scene.