Exclusive: Waymo's opposition grows with D.C. rally
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Part of Waymo's drive to get into the D.C. market is to be close to regulators and members of Congress. Photo: Alex Kent/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Waymo's foes are assembling in D.C.
Why it matters: Labor unions and even churches are ramping up pressure on the D.C. Council to reject a bill legalizing robotaxis.
The big picture: Expect a lobbying duel between big tech and a growing coalition worried about what robotaxis would mean for workers.
- On Oct. 6, activists tell Axios they'll rally outside the Wilson Building, where D.C. Council member Charles Allen is advancing a robotaxi bill that he authored.
- The National Urban League, which publishes an annual "State of Black America" report, has also raised concerns about the roll-out of self-driving vehicles, but clarified on Friday they won't participate in the rally or take a position on the bill.
- "Now is not the time for Washington, D.C., to move forward with a widespread deployment of autonomous vehicles that could undermine the livelihoods of working-class Washingtonians," Urban League president Marc Morial said in a statement provided to Axios on Tuesday by New York-based comms strategist Andrew Bard Epstein — who represents some groups opposed to robotaxis — and also shared again with Axios by an Urban League spokesperson on Wednesday.
- Religious leaders are getting in, too. Jesus "would be opposed to technology that was opposed to people," Rev. A. Michael Charles Durant of the Tenth Street Baptist Church recently told the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, the local SEIU union — which helped put Janeese Lewis George on the path to become D.C.'s next mayor — debuted an ad buy urging lawmakers to "Vote NO on Waymo."
Zoom out: Waymo has been lobbying for Allen's bill to move forward for over a year, at one point asking residents to write lawmakers in support.
- Allen's proposal would cap robotaxi operators at 200 vehicles, levy a "vehicle miles traveled" fee on companies, and hold off commercial service until 2028.
The other side: Waymo recently leased a third address in D.C. for its robotaxi rollout, which remains limited currently to human-assisted testing vehicles.
- It argues it'll spend "tens of millions of dollars" on service centers and create hundreds of D.C. jobs if it can begin service.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the National Urban League has not taken a position on Allen's bill and does not plan to participate in the Oct. 6 rally, as well as to better describe the sources for the quote from Marc Morial.