Waymo really wants to operate in D.C. But does D.C. want Waymo?

The D.C. Council held a hearing Monday on the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026, a bill introduced in May by Democratic Councilmember Charles Allen that would create the first legal pathway for companies such as Waymo to operate driverless taxis and delivery vehicles in the district. The legislation would require operators to complete 250,000 miles of testing, pay $6 million for a three-year permit, carry $5 million in insurance, accept an initial 200-vehicle cap, file extensive reports and pay an additional 15-cent tax on every mile driven. The multimillion-dollar fees would partly fund training programs for ride-share drivers deemed vulnerable to automation. Before the hearing, protesters and members of the Teamsters Union, 32BJ SEIU, the Amalgamated Transit Union and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers gathered outside, arguing that legalizing autonomous vehicles would cost jobs. Jaime Contreras, executive vice president of 32BJ SEIU, said the bill would funnel money to Waymo executives in Silicon Valley that could otherwise go into the pockets of D.C. residents and the economy. Marissa Tuell, senior manager of autonomous vehicle policy at Lyft, testified that automation historically creates new options alongside existing ones and that she expected autonomous vehicles and human drivers to coexist. Brian Wivell of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 argued the technology would encourage sprawl by allowing people to work during longer commutes. Lucas Pombo, a research fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, testified that claims about the necessity of human drivers for social interaction or efficient routing were unfounded.