The push to allow Waymo driverless taxis to operate in Missouri cleared its first hurdle Tuesday evening.
The House Emerging Issues committee voted 7-4 Tuesday, along partisan lines, to advance two identical bills sponsored by Republican state Reps. Don Mayhew of Crocker and Brandon Phelps of Warrensburg.
The bills had received strong support from advocates for the disabled, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer, during a three-hour public hearing last week.
But committee members heard fervent opposition from numerous Teamsters commercial drivers, who argued the legislation is a “job killer” because it opens the door for driverless trucks on highways.
The bill also faced opposition from first responders and school bus drivers, who raised public safety concerns.
Tom Mullins, a St. Louis firefighter with Teamsters Local 610, said at last week’s hearing that other cities have struggled with keeping “robo taxis” out of emergency scenes or getting them to move to the side of the road when their sirens are on.
“Delays in even seconds can make a life or death difference in property preservation and human survival,” Mullins said. “Emergency crews have had to physically intervene, smashing windows to force the vehicle to stop or physically stand in front of an autonomous vehicle to keep it from entering the scene.”
Lori Becker, CEO of the St. Louis-based Starkloff Disability Institute, urged the committee to think about people with disabilities and those who have “transit-limiting conditions.” Becker said she and others face challenges with Uber drivers and would feel “more safe being in a car independently.”
“I don’t have to rely on someone’s judgment or availability or get their permission to get a ride somewhere — I can just go,” Becker said. “And that’s a right that we all deserve. So it’s about our rights, it’s about our dignity, and it’s also about putting more money back into the economy.”
Democratic lawmakers from Kansas City noted the legislation would prevent local governments from banning self-driving cars and services in their cities. All three Kansas City members of the committee voted against the bills.
State Rep. Emily Weber, a Democrat from Kansas City, asked Phelps and Mayhew if they’d spoken with the city’s police chief about the impacts of the bill, specifically about training first responders to interact with the cars.
“We’re having issues hiring police officers, first responders,” Weber said. “So now you’re adding additional new training, and it seems like neither one of you have had conversations with the areas that are going to be affected by this.”
Mayhew said that he’s had numerous conversations with the leadership in St. Louis.
Representatives from the St. Louis mayor’s office spoke in support of the legislation, saying the city is already partnering with Waymo cars as a test site. Waymo is only allowed to test the cars in manual mode with a driver, until a state law is passed permitting driverless cars.
St. Louis Democratic state Rep. Elizabeth Fuch voted against the bill.
After St. Louis was announced as a test site, Waymo hired four Missouri Capitol lobbyists in November to help push for the legalization bill.
The legislation requires a law enforcement plan be submitted to the Department of Public Safety detailing how to communicate with a “fleet specialist” and how to take the cars off the road if needed. The vehicles must remain at the scene of a crash, as required by current law, and crashes or collisions involving autonomous vehicles must be reported.
Autonomous vehicle taxis would operate under the same rules as taxis and other for-hire passenger transport systems, it states, and commercial vehicles would abide by commercial vehicle laws.