Waymo declines to meet with Austin leaders to discuss interactions with first responders

AUSTIN, Texas - Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company, confirmed it will not attend a special public meeting with city council members on Wednesday. 

This comes after one of their vehicles was seen blocking first responders during the Sixth Street mass shooting in March.

The backstory:

A video from last month raised concerns. It showed a Waymo autonomous vehicle in the way of a fire truck trying to respond to the mass shooting on Sixth Street. Council members asked Waymo to meet with them this month for a public meeting to talk about incidents involving interactions between first responders and autonomous vehicles during emergency situations. Waymo declined.

"I'm disappointed. I think we are doing our best to make sure that local government is responsive to its constituents, and those folks deserve to hear directly from the companies that are impacting their neighborhoods, what that looks like, and why they won't answer questions from the public," Paige Ellis, Austin City Council District 8 Representative and Chair of the Mobility Committee, said.

"It is deeply disappointing that Waymo will not be joining us for the Mobility Committee meeting.  While private talks are important, I do believe that the public deserves to hear the discussion surrounding this topic, and it is meetings like these that provide that space," Krista Laine, Austin City Council District 6 Representative, said.

Waymo said in a statement, "We've already had the substantive conversations this moment calls for, directly with all five requesting Council offices — including Council Member Qadri —  more than 15 city officials, and the highest levels of state government. In these briefings, we answered all questions related to the event and emergency response protocols and provided a detailed and confidential overview of the event, including lessons learned and planned future operational improvements to Waymo’s emergency response procedures and capabilities."

Council Member Zo Qadri said they do not have a verbal or written commitment from Waymo that it will implement the solutions outlined by city staff.

Dig deeper:

Autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo operate under Texas state law, which limits how much oversight cities like Austin can impose, though local officials do still play a role in safety and coordination.

State and federal officials have been invited to join the discussion.

"It's unfortunate that we see companies not wanting to come and answer questions, but the state has said that those regulations need to happen at their level, and I really hope we're able to have a productive conversation about what that looks like and how we can keep Texans safe.

What's next:

The meeting will still happen on Wednesday, April 29, at 11 a.m. at Austin City Hall. 

Qadri indicated other autonomous vehicle companies will be participating.