D.C. Council proposes fees on autonomous taxis to fund displaced ride-share workers

The District of Columbia is weighing a proposal that would allow commercial autonomous vehicles only after a lengthy testing period and would charge operators a 15-cent per-mile tax, a $1 million application fee and a $5 million permit fee. Revenue from these charges would be allocated to public transit and to education, vocational training and workforce-development programs for ride-share drivers at risk of losing employment.

The bill also caps autonomous fleets at 200 vehicles until a comprehensive plan is approved and delays deployment until at least January 2028. Demonstrators, including Helen Raynor, a single mother of four, and Autumn Weintraub of 32BJ’s App Drivers Union, gathered outside the D.C. Council to argue the city is rushing the policy amid an unemployment and affordability crisis. They voiced concerns about road safety, surveillance, air quality and the loss of political influence for workers.

Pro-robotaxi trucks displayed slogans about reducing human error, while officials cited data showing autonomous vehicles cause far fewer injury-causing crashes than human drivers. Critics warn the per-mile tax could erode the price advantages that robotaxis might offer consumers.