NYTWA STATEMENT: GOVERNOR RIGHT TO NIX WAYMO BILL

USANewsOnline.Com Desk, New York : On Thursday, February 19, 2026, the office of Governor Hochul confirmed she will be pulling a bill to allow Waymo to operate robotaxis in upstate New York.

The following statement can be attributed to the Executive Director of the 28,000+ yellow cab, Uber and Lyft drivers New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Bhairavi Desai (she/her):
“We applaud Governor Hochul’s sensible decision to pull the highly unpopular upstate Waymo robotaxi pilot bill. Waymo thinks by targeting Buffalo and Rochester it can divide and conquer our driver-led movement. But, once again, billionaire tech bosses underestimate workers at their own peril.
Waymo controls all the data and reporting of pilot programs like the one that Hochul put a stop to, and relies on going from small pilots to major expansion without safety guardrails, following in the footsteps of Uber and Lyft who began operating in New York City without sensible regulations with devastating consequences for workers and for our city streets.
Just like New York City drivers have fought and won accountability from Uber and Lyft — winning minimum pay standards, a vehicle cap, and unemployment benefits to our recent just cause victory — drivers are ready to stand up to Waymo.
Surveys have shown the majority of New Yorkers are not interested in having our streets flooded with robotaxis, and one survey even found New Yorkers who have ridden in an AV are even less curious to ride in one again.
Instead of kowtowing to trillionaire fantasies of maximizing profits by replacing workers with robots, redesigning public streets for corporate greed, and compromising our environment, government should hold these corporations accountable, create family-supporting jobs, end income inequality, regulate for accessible and fuel efficient vehicles, and improve working conditions for drivers.
We need a moratorium on Autonomous Vehicles while the city and state engage in a comprehensive study on their impact.” Press Release