Atlanta seeking to work with Uber, Waymo on future of autonomous rideshare vehicles

Since June, Waymo’s launch of its autonomous taxis in Atlanta has gone fairly smoothly, according to city officials.

But even if it hadn’t, there’s little the city could do to stop their presence, said Betty Smoot-Madison, deputy commissioner of strategy and planning at Atlanta’s Department of Transportation. That’s because the federal government — not state or local entities — regulates the industry.

“We know these vehicles can collect tons of data about our city, about our streets, such as road conditions. There’s no requirement at the federal or state level for them to provide such data to municipalities, but it is an ongoing discussion,” said Smoot-Madison, who joined “All Things Considered” to discuss the driverless vehicles’ presence in Atlanta.