Boston City Council Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation Chair Sharon Durkin opened a July 24 hearing to evaluate proposed autonomous vehicle operations in Boston, saying the city must “ensure that any new technology that operates protects all road users and supports our Vision Zero goals.”

The meeting brought the mayoral administration, Waymo representatives, labor leaders and dozens of drivers and disability advocates into the council chamber for more than two hours of testimony and questions. Committee members stressed public safety, labor impacts and data sharing as central concerns while Waymo highlighted its safety record and testing experience.

Why this matters: Councilors and witnesses said Boston’s narrow, irregular street network and high pedestrian and cyclist activity make the city different from many places where autonomous vehicles (AVs) have operated, and they warned of potential consequences for traffic, first responders, workers and transit ridership.

Administration concerns and goals

The city’s chief of streets (City of Boston) told the committee the administration wants to be “thoughtful” and “not reactive” to new transportation technologies. The chief noted that while some research suggests AVs can reduce crash rates, those findings generally come from places with less complex street networks and that other operational behaviors — blocking bus or bike lanes, double-parking for pickups, and adding empty vehicle miles — can harm safety and congestion.

The administration said it would demand robust data sharing from any operator and stressed concern about AVs’ interaction with first responders, construction zones and transit operations. Senior adviser for labor Lou Mandarini told the committee the core question is whether the city wants “to protect and make sure we have a vibrant, strong working class in Boston,” warning of cascading job losses if AVs scale without labor protections.

Waymo testimony and company claims

Matt Walsh, Waymo’s regional head of state and local public policy, said Waymo has driven “over 71,000,000 miles on public roads” and that the company’s data indicate fewer injury-causing collisions relative to human drivers. He told the council Waymo provides “over 250,000 fully autonomous paid passenger trips per week” and that testing in Boston earlier this year focused on mapping and data collection rather than commercial launch.

David Margenest, Waymo director of product management, said the company has trained and briefed local first responders in jurisdictions where it operates, and that Waymo’s vehicles are built with lidar, cameras and radar to handle a range of conditions. Waymo representatives said they have no immediate commercial launch plans in Boston but are prepared to participate in local and state regulatory discussions.

Labor, driver and union testimony

Labor leaders and drivers urged the committee to pause any rollout until the city studies the economic and social impacts. Mike Vadabedian (IAM District 15, App Drivers Union) said AVs “threaten to erase that progress” achieved by recent efforts to organize rideshare drivers. Teamsters Local 25 Secretary-Treasurer Steven South warned of a broader cascade of automation across driving occupations and said the benefits Waymo cites are the company’s own figures.

Drivers provided first-person testimony about emergencies, passenger assistance and community knowledge they said a vehicle without a human could not provide. A UPS driver, Jack Mayer (Teamsters), described finding an unconscious person on his route and staying to get help. Several rideshare drivers told the committee they rely on driving income to support families and that an erosion of trips would be a direct household shock.

Disability and accessibility testimony

Not all testimony opposed AVs. Carl Richardson, an advisory board member of the Mayor’s Commission on Disability, said autonomous vehicles could expand independent mobility for people with vision impairments, mobility disabilities and other groups that currently face barriers to rideshare and paratransit. Judy Shanley of Easterseals emphasized that people with disabilities need a “continuum of mobility and transportation options” and that AVs could complement, not replace, existing services if properly regulated.

Technical, operational and regulatory issues discussed

- Mapping and testing: Waymo confirmed it performed manual-mode mapping and data collection earlier in the year and is analyzing results to assess how its systems generalize to Boston’s environment.
- Weather and sensors: Waymo said its sensor suite (lidar, radar, cameras) is designed to operate in varied conditions, but company representatives acknowledged some operating regimes — for example, heavy standing snow — require additional validation before driverless operations.
- Data sharing and transparency: City officials emphasized that any AV operator must provide near‑real‑time operational data so the city can manage impacts on safety, congestion and infrastructure.
- First responder coordination: Both the administration and Waymo highlighted the need for protocols so AVs respond appropriately to sirens, hand signals and active incident scenes.
- Labor and workforce transition: Labor witnesses pressed for binding protections and a role in shaping rollout timelines; Waymo pointed to job opportunities the company says it will create in operations and maintenance but did not present a labor transition plan for incumbent drivers.

Actions and next steps

There were no formal votes or regulatory decisions at the hearing. Committee members said the session was an information‑gathering step. Councilors Henry Santana and Aaron Murphy were cited as preparing an ordinance to require a public study and an advisory board to examine AV impacts; the council did not vote on that ordinance during the hearing. The administration said it has not yet taken an official position on pending state legislation but signaled it expects the City of Boston to have a seat at the state table.

Ending

The committee adjourned without action and asked for additional information, including operational data from vendors, results from Waymo’s Boston mapping, input from first responders, and an economic impact analysis of effects on drivers, transit and small businesses. Councilors and witnesses agreed that further hearings and stakeholder engagement will be needed before the city adopts regulatory rules for AV operations.

(Quotes in this report are taken verbatim from the July 24, 2025 hearing transcript.)