Scoop: Waymo will skip public meeting on ambulance-blocking robotaxi
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Waymo officials won't attend an upcoming public meeting in Austin about a robotaxi that briefly blocked an ambulance last month, saying the company has already answered questions in private briefings with officials.
Why it matters: The episode is shaping up as a test of how safety concerns over robotaxis are handled — in public forums or through direct coordination with officials.
Catch up quick: The updates come after a video circulated on social media showing a Waymo, en route to pick up a passenger, stopped and blocking the street for about a minute as an ambulance attempted to pass on its way to the March 1 mass shooting downtown.
- Austin-Travis County EMS officials say the incident was resolved quickly and didn't affect overall response to the shooting.
What they're saying: A spokesperson with Waymo confirmed Saturday morning that the company has let Austin City Council members know they won't attend the April 29 joint meeting between the council's Public Safety and Mobility committees.
- "We've already had the substantive conversations this moment calls for, directly with all five requesting Council offices . . . more than 15 city officials, and the highest levels of state government," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to Axios.
- "In these briefings, we answered all questions related to the event and emergency response protocols, and provided a detailed and confidential overview of the event, including lessons learned and planned future operational improvements to Waymo's emergency response procedures and capabilities."
- "We will keep working with Austin's leadership and first responder community, because ongoing collaboration is how we build the trust this city deserves and make Austin's streets safer."
The company says it's expanded its "Avoid the Area" zone for emergency alerts.
Yes, but: Some council members say they want more information and invited Waymo officials to attend the meeting to "identify steps that can be taken to ensure stronger coordination between Waymo's operations and Austin's public safety agencies."
- "We believe a collaborative discussion will help ensure that emergency response in our city remains swift, safe, and unobstructed," per the letter, signed by members José "Chito" Vela, José Valásquiz, Paige Ellis, Krista Laine and Zohaib "Zo" Qadri.
Qadri said Friday the meeting will move forward with or without Waymo.
- "I hope they choose to be at the table," Qadri tells Axios.
- "If they don't, that decision will speak for itself about how they view their responsibility to the people of Austin."
Shweta Shrivastava, a senior director of product management at Waymo, declined to discuss details of the April 29 meeting, but said the city has a direct line of communication to the company.
- "They know how to reach out to us and when they have concerns, they know who to get a hold of," Shrivastava told Axios in an interview Thursday.
- "A forum like the one that they are proposing for April 29 is probably not the most effective way to really get into the details."
Reality check: Local officials have little authority over the vehicles.
- A new state law will require driverless car companies to register with the Texas DMV beginning May 28.