Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Local teamsters and rideshare drivers heated things up on Beacon Hill Tuesday, protesting against self-driving cars coming to Boston.
Steve South with Teamster Local 25 said that driverless cars in Boston puts not only taxi drivers at risk but also regular residents and public transportation workers.
He specifically called out Waymo, the self-driving taxi company, after the company delivered several cars to Boston for a test run last month.
“Regular people like us will be forced to pay the price of automation,” South said. “This isn’t just about jobs, either. You cannot teach empathy or instinct to an autonomous vehicle.”
Mike Vartabedian, with the International Association of Machinists and the App Drivers Union, told WBZ NewsRadio that more study needs to be done on this technology.
“I don’t trust the technology; I think there’s still a lot of development and technology to make it safe in this climate,” he said.
The group is also urging Commonwealth lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 2393 that prevents driverless cars from “transporting of passengers… unless a human safety operator is physically present in the autonomous vehicle.”
In a statement to WBZ NewsRadio, a Waymo spokesperson said the company "is on a mission to be the world’s most trusted driver, making it safer, more accessible, and more sustainable to get around."
"We strive to be good neighbors in the cities where we operate, and be a positive presence in Boston," the Waymo spokesperson said.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) has more.