Hochul’s self-driving for-hire AV pilot program draws anxiety from NYC groups, pols

By Ethan Stark-Miller Posted on January 14, 2026

Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged on Tuesday to introduce a bill paving the way for testing self-driving for-hire autonomous vehicles (AV) outside of New York City — but elected officials and activists in the Big Apple expressed anxiety over the idea.

The policy book that accompanied the governor’s annual State of the State address said she plans to put forward a measure that will “advance the next phase” of a state-run pilot program by allowing the “limited deployment” of the for-hire AVs in parts of the state other than the five boroughs.