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MTS board votes 12-1 against Waymo expansion

9/2/2026

17 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

MTS Opposes Waymo

The Metropolitan Transit System board voted 12-1 to oppose Waymo robotaxi expansion over job and safety concerns.
City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera warned autonomous vehicles could replace people.
MTS CEO Sharon Cooney cited a December 2025 San Francisco outage that made Waymo cars block intersections.
Zoox and Tesla received CPUC and DMV permission to test driver-operated fleets in San Diego.

Summary

Waymo Expands Driverless

Zoox will test supervised vehicles in Houston and San Diego, expanding to 12 U.S. markets.
Waymo adds driverless ride-hailing in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, marking its first Colorado service.
Waymo operates over 4,000 robotaxis in 14 cities and aims for one million weekly rides by end-2026.
Goldman Sachs forecasts a $19 billion market by 2030 and $48 billion by 2035.
Labor groups warn driverless cars could cut transport jobs.

History

Historical Context

Nevada’s libertarian, business-friendly climate that drew Tesla’s Gigafactory and Google’s data center helped it adopt the 2015 Autonomous Vehicle Law, the first to allow driverless cars on public roads. Waymo logged 100,000 autonomous miles by 2017, but the Metropolitan Transit System’s 12-1 vote against its expansion reflects growing local labor concerns as municipalities tighten oversight.

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MTS Opposes Waymo

The Metropolitan Transit System board voted 12-1 to oppose Waymo robotaxi expansion over job and safety concerns.
City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera warned autonomous vehicles could replace people.
MTS CEO Sharon Cooney cited a December 2025 San Francisco outage that made Waymo cars block intersections.
Zoox and Tesla received CPUC and DMV permission to test driver-operated fleets in San Diego.

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