Robotaxis are real now — so is the pushback

<figure> <img alt="Photo illustration of an autonomous vehicle." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25415564/STK418_Autonomous_Vehicles_Cvirginia_D.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Robotaxis are expanding. So is the fight over the rules governing them.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-york-governor-hochul-pulls-robotaxi-expansion-proposal-2026-02-19">withdrew</a> a proposal earlier this year that would have opened the door to driverless robotaxis outside New York City after taxi drivers, unions, and state lawmakers opposed it. Six months later, commercial driverless service remains illegal in the state, and legalization efforts are stalled.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In DC, labor unions are fighting legislation that would legalize commercial robotaxis, while lawmakers are weighing a 200-vehicle cap and a 15-cent-per-mile fee that would fund Metro upgrades and aid workers displaced by autonomous vehicles. A July Cit …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/983765/robotaxi-waymo-zoox-tesla-rules-pushback-nhtsa">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>