Waymo's plan to run robotaxis in New York has fallen through. New York Governor Kathy Hochul withdrew a proposed traffic law revision that would have allowed vehicles to operate without a driver, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday.

Spokesman Sean Butler (숀 버틀러) told TechCrunch, "After discussions with stakeholders including the legislature, we determined there is no base of support to advance this proposal."

The decision is a blow to Waymo, which has been working to bring self-driving robotaxi services to New York. Current New York state law requires a driver to keep one hand on the steering wheel at all times, making robotaxis with no one in the driver's seat illegal. Hochul sought to revise the provision as part of the budget but ultimately withdrew it.

Even if it had passed, the revision would not have fully allowed robotaxis. Paid services would have been banned in cities with populations of more than 1 million. It would have required approval from the state transportation commissioner, a $1 million application fee, and a financial guarantee of at least $5 million. Pilot operations would have been allowed only in cities and counties that proved local resident support.

Waymo is currently running tests in New York City with 8 Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, with its permit running through March 31. Waymo operates paid robotaxi services in Atlanta, Austin, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, providing more than 400,000 paid rides each week. The company aims to increase weekly rides to 1,000,000 by year-end.

Waymo said, "New Yorkers who have experienced robotaxis in other cities want this," adding it will continue cooperating with the state government.