In recent months, San Diegans may have spotted the white or light blue Waymo vehicles with large cameras and sensors driving along city roads.<\/p>\n
Now, Waymo said after months of testing with drivers behind the wheel, those vehicles will soon begin driving fully autonomously in San Diego.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will begin gradually ramping up our fully autonomous operations in the coming weeks,\u201d a Waymo spokesperson said in a written statement. \u201cRides will initially only be available to Waymo employees. We plan to welcome the public later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some are excited about the launch of the new technology, others are concerned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers will struggle. We will lose a lot of jobs,\u201d said Mikaiil Hussein.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s President of United Taxi Workers of San Diego, which represents hundreds of drivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not fair competition. It’s a machine; it’s not going to get tired doing whatever it wants. It’s going to be very difficult for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hussein is advocating for more local oversight on the issue.<\/p>\n
San Diego City Councilmember and MTS Taxi Advisory Committee chair Sean Elo-Rivera proposed an MTS resolution on autonomous vehicles that passed in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n It urges the state to restore the right of cities to choose to allow driverless cars.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it’s fair for us to question why at the local level we don’t have more control or say over where this testing is happening,\u201d Elo-Rivera said. \u201cSan Diego is not a testing lab; San Diegans are not lab rats.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s concerned about job loss and public safety.<\/p>\n