A Waymo vehicle drives through Chicago’s Near North Side on March 20 as the company begins testing and mapping the city. (Medill Illinois News Bureau photo by Georgia Epiphaniou)
By Jacques Abou-Rizk and Medill Illinois News Bureau
CHICAGO – In downtown Chicago, people have been spotting Google’s Waymo automated vehicles testing and mapping the Windy City’s streets. For now, the autonomous vehicles must be driven by a human, as the industry seeks the endorsement of state lawmakers.
For the last year, legislators in Springfield have been trying to work through a variety of issues raised by skeptics of the autonomous vehicles, known as AVs. Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, said AV legislation has a long road ahead to address constituent concerns over safety, insurance and job losses for rideshare and cab drivers.
In January, he introduced the Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Project Act, which would open counties in Illinois with over 1 million residents, as well as the counties of Sangamon, Madison, St. Clair, and Monroe, to automated commercial vehicles. But the bill has since been held up in the Rules Committee, an early step in the process that means it’s far from passage, especially in the current legislative session. Other bills supporting the industry also have yet to get the necessary support.
While Waymo has started testing its vehicles with safety drivers in Chicago, the company has not yet announced plans to bring the robotaxis to counties other than Cook, according to Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli.
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