About this episode

The episode discusses the debate over allowing Waymo's autonomous vehicles to operate without a human driver in D.C.

Waymos—the autonomous, self-driving ride-hailing vehicles—are already cruising around D.C. with one big catch: under current D.C. law, there's still a human safety driver behind the wheel. But will D.C. ever allow Waymos to operate without a human driver? And more importantly, should it? The D.C. Council is considering a bill that could finally allow them to operate in the District, but not without a fight. Labor unions, disability advocates, tech companies, and business leaders all packed a marathon hearing to debate what the future of transportation in D.C. should look like—and who it should serve. Ben Brasch was there for many many hours. He joins me today to explain where the debate stands and what the future of AVs in D.C. could look like. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month.  Learn more about the sponsors of this July 15th episode: DC Department of Behavioral Health Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE.

People in this episode

Guest: Ben Brasch

Topics covered

• autonomous vehicles
• transportation policy
• labor unions
• disability advocacy
• technology
• business
• D.C. news

Keywords

• Waymo
• autonomous vehicles
• D.C. Council
• transportation
• labor unions
• disability advocates
• self-driving cars

Sponsors

DC Department of Behavioral Health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: D.C. Council

Products: Waymo

Places: D.C., District, D.C.

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