Uber and Waymo Clash Over D.C. Robotaxi Rules, Exposing Deep Industry Rifts

The battle over who gets to run robotaxis in Washington, D.C. is heating up, and the two biggest names in the space are already at each other’s throats. Uber and Waymo, once partners, have split over a proposed bill that would allow autonomous vehicles to operate in the nation’s capital. After weeks of digging through correspondence and talking to insiders, it’s clear these companies are now on opposite sides of the policy debate, sparring in public and behind closed doors.

Uber opposes the bill, arguing it would push out human drivers and hand Waymo a de facto monopoly. Instead, the ride-hailing giant is pushing a “hybrid” model that would require robotaxis to operate alongside human drivers on a ride-hailing network. Insiders say that approach has little chance of becoming law, but if it did, it would force AV developers like Waymo into a tough spot: either put their self-driving cars on Uber’s app or keep human drivers in vehicles that cost hundreds of millions to develop. At a D.C. Council hearing Monday, representatives from Lyft, Tesla, Uber, and Waymo faced off alongside disability advocates, labor unions, and safety groups. My takeaway: Waymo is one of the few companies that actually likes the bill. Most of the rest of the industry does not.

Tesla’s senior policy adviser, India Herdman, echoed complaints from other AV developers about the bill’s steep requirements: a mandatory 180-day, 250,000-mile testing period; a $1 million application fee; a $5 million permit fee; and a per-mile tax of 15 cents. Tesla and others argue that testing miles logged in other states should count toward the threshold. Waymo, which has already been testing with safety drivers in D.C., has blown past those requirements. If the bill passes as written, Waymo would enter the market with at least a six-month head start — a significant advantage that has rivals crying foul.