Boston Weighs Curbs on Driverless Taxis in Threat to Waymo (1)

Boston city councilors are proposing an ordinance that would require Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo and other autonomous ride-share services to have a human operator present in the vehicle.

The legislation would mandate a study on the technology’s effects on the employment of current ride-share drivers and prohibit self-driving cars from operating in Boston until that’s been completed and other permitting requirements are established. Even then, the cars wouldn’t be allowed to operate unless a human safety operator is inside the vehicle and able to intervene, according to the proposed ordinance.

Further work is needed to refine the proposal before it ...