Boston Council Holds Hearing on Robotaxi Ordinance, No Vote Taken

BOSTON — October 28, 2025 — Boston City Council committee weighs ordinance to block commercial robotaxis without human operators. The Committee on Government Operations chaired by Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata held a nearly full-day hearing Tuesday on Docket 1432, sponsored by Councillors Henry Santana, Erin J. Murphy, and Edward M. Flynn, which would mandate an independent public study of autonomous vehicle impacts and prohibit any commercial AV from operating in Boston without a human safety operator. Teamsters Local 25 Secretary-Treasurer Steven South and App Drivers Union representatives warned that Waymo's entry could threaten tens of thousands of driver jobs, with South asking all drivers in the chamber to stand to illustrate the workforce at risk. Waymo regional policy head Matthew Walsh countered that the company's vehicles have produced five times fewer injury-causing crashes than humans across 96 million driverless miles, and that the taxi industry in San Francisco has actually grown since Waymo launched there, with total pay in the sector rising 14 percent. Disability advocates including Carl Richardson of the Guide Dog Users of Massachusetts testified in opposition to the ordinance, arguing that autonomous vehicles would expand mobility for blind residents routinely refused service by human rideshare drivers. No vote was taken; Coletta Zapata said the hearing record remains open and "we have some work to do."