Toy figures on a sunny Washington street lined with white columns, a domed capitol behind them. A huge grinning wrestler with a topknot, in a crimson jacket and leather boots, holds up a cardboard sign reading "A WORKER SHOULD BE AT THE TABLE", and a toy protester in a beanie behind him holds one reading "$50 LATER?". A punk woman with a teal streak stands with one finger to her lips. At the curb sits a white driverless car with a sensor dome on the roof and nobody at the wheel; an orange sunburst-headed figure looks out from its back seat, and a chickadee in spectacles stands on the dome.

A Worker Should Be at the Table

Updated

DC is writing the rules for robotaxis. The drivers came to the building to be in the room.

The DC Council has a bill that would put paid driverless rides on city streets in 2028.

  1. May 1. Three councilmembers, led by Charles Allen, introduce B26-0684, the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026 (Sidley's summary). It allows 200 vehicles to start, and no paid rides before January 1, 2028. Operators have to show 250,000 test miles inside the District first. The fees are $1 million to apply and $5 million for a three-year permit, plus 15 cents a mile.
  2. July 13. More than 80 people sign up to testify at the hearing (WJLA). Allen: the city needs to be "a place that embraces innovation, makes sure it works for D.C." Matthew Walsh of Waymo: "the Waymo driver is proven to be generalizable in a number of urban environments." Jaime Contreras of 32BJ SEIU: "We believe that this will have a negative impact on workers and work in the district."
  3. October. Union members, rideshare drivers and clergy protest outside the Wilson Building while the council discusses the bill (Fox News). Samuel Epps of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO: "A worker should be at the table." A protester named Sabrina: "It might be cheap for the trial periods, and then all of a sudden we'll be paying $50."

No vote is scheduled. Under the bill, half of what's left of the revenue goes to training rideshare drivers who are "at-risk of job displacement" because of the cars it lets in.

Blow out candles once again