Committee hears airport autonomous-vehicle update; staff urges caution on access and data sharing
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Summary
Staff presented an update on autonomous-vehicle operations on airport property, warning there is no exclusive licensing in place, noting a recent breakdown incident in Venice, and urging coordination with unions, emergency services and possible data-sharing arrangements with companies such as Waymo, Uber and Lyft.
La presidenta del comité opened the meeting and asked staff to present an update on autonomous-vehicle (AV) operations on airport property. Don Luis Bridges, who identified himself as "vicedirector de estrategia de movilidad," gave the report and said the city currently has no exclusive license for AVs to operate on airport property and urged caution before granting access.
Bridges recounted recent operational problems and safety concerns, including a weekend incident in which "uno de los vehículos que se descompuso en los canales de Venice," and said the city must plan for remote communications protocols with police and fire so a disabled AV does not block traffic or create hazards. "En cuanto a la operación necesitamos de un vehículo descompuesto en ningún momento que está bloqueando el tráfico o provocando alguna algún problema de seguridad," he said.
He told members that unions and other partner stakeholders must be part of planning and that staff had reviewed other jurisdictions' rules. He referenced San Francisco's recent data-requirement law and described an expectation—based on how companies such as Waymo have operated—that AV operators may share near-real-time trip or routing data to support city planning and pick-up/drop-off management. "Estamos haciendo esto actualmente con Uber y Lyft," Bridges said, noting airport operations could expect similar sharing.
Members pressed staff on the limits of airport-only rules, pointing out that routing and pick-up impacts often extend beyond airport property and might require broader, citywide approaches or voluntary incentives if mandates are legally or practically infeasible. One member, identified in the transcript as Señor Makozcar, raised labor concerns and warned automation could produce job losses, citing an example where a traffic-signal outage made an intersection chaotic and amplified risk for AVs.
The committee moved to accept the report while directing staff to continue conversations with the transportation department, public-safety partners and labor representatives. No final licensing decision or contract award was made; staff repeatedly framed their remarks as preparatory steps toward safety plans and potential contract terms.