Battle over self-driving vehicles brewing in Boston

A battle over self-driving cars in Boston is fully underway

driven by unions who fear the autonomous vehicles will take their jobs

Waymo is now in five cities and planning on two more, not including Boston

A spokesperson tells Straight Arrow News the company is also on a road trip to cities like

Las Vegas, Nashville, and Boston with the goal to see how their tech could fit into those cities

especially in cold weather. In a statement to Straight Arrow News, a spokesman said, quote, we look forward to working with the Boston community and aim to

complement their transportation ecosystem, adding more access and safety to roads. However, several unions are pushing back against the plan over concerns of safety and job loss

The president of a local Teamsters union said, quote, the only reason Waymo and other AV companies

invest in this technology is so they can get rich by destroying the livelihoods of millions of

workers. There are currently two bills in the Massachusetts state legislature that provide a

road for autonomous vehicles in Boston. Unions want to kill that legislation and replace it

Yes, we're calling for the legislature to kill that bill. And we're advocating for

another legislation which will require human operators in driverless vehicles. Yeah, They'd be trained human operators to make sure, you know, there's no safety issues or nothing goes wrong

Two Boston city councilors have now introduced an ordinance to create an advisory council to yze how autonomous vehicles would impact public safety, traffic, local businesses and more

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan. For more unbiased straight facts, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com