LAWA: no timeline for autonomous vehicle permits as council presses for safety and data sharing
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Summary
Los Angeles World Airports told the Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee it has no timeline to seek nonexclusive autonomous-vehicle permits for LAX, and council members pressed LAWA and LADOT on safety protocols and data-sharing requirements modeled on San Francisco practices.
Councilwoman Tracy Park, chair of the Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee, pressed Los Angeles World Airports officials on how and when autonomous vehicles might be allowed on airport property, saying any decision "is gonna have to be done with great care and great caution and in consultation with our safety and our labor partners."
David Rich, LAWA's deputy executive for mobility strategy, told the committee the CEO had submitted a letter and that "we have no timeline at this time to do so" for presenting a nonexclusive AV licensing agreement to the Board of Airport Commissioners. Rich said LAWA has been studying how other airports permitted AV services and would expect to require data-sharing as part of any future permit addenda.
Rich described San Francisco's approach as a reference point: that city receives notifications on pickups and drop-offs, vehicle identification, license plates and geofenced geolocation events and, in some cases, a frequent GPS "breadcrumb trail" while vehicles operate on airport property. "So as that vehicle's operating on their property, they can kinda get a ping, I think, every 20 seconds," he said, adding LAWA would examine similar requirements for operational oversight.
The committee also heard from Selvar of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Commercial Rideshare Mobility Team, who said Waymo is currently the only operator with a commercial permit to charge for services in the city and that LADOT has had only preliminary conversations about sharing data with AV operators. Selvar said wider adoption of the Mobility Data Specification (MDS) would allow machine-to-machine geofence communication and help the city detect noncompliance more quickly: "If they were on MDS, it would allow us to know if they were complying."
Council members flagged multiple operational concerns, including AVs stalling in complex environments and the potential impacts on traffic and labor. Park said LAWA and DOT need to continue consultations with public-safety partners — including LAFD and airport and city police — and labor stakeholders. Rich said LAWA will continue outreach and working-group discussions and that permit addenda could include data requirements at the CEO's discretion.
Park moved that the committee receive and file the report; the motion passed unanimously.