This Week In Rideshare: Massachusetts Drivers, Lyft Robotaxis, and Waymo Prices.

Massachusetts drivers can unionize, Lyft adds robotaxis and Waymo gets pricy. LegalRideshare breaks it down.

MASS. DRIVERS CAN UNIONIZE.

Massachusetts drivers win big on Tuesday. Reuters reported:

Massachusetts voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that would allow ride-share drivers to unionize, becoming the first U.S. state to allow drivers for app-based companies like Uber and Lyft to do so.

With 94% of precincts reporting, 53.9% of voters endorsed a novel framework that would allow ride-share drivers who are considered by the companies to be independent contractors to organize and bargain collectively over pay and benefits, according to the Associated Press, which called the vote mid-Wednesday.

Under the Massachusetts measure, drivers can form a union after collecting signatures from at least 25% of active drivers in Massachusetts, and companies can form associations to allow them to jointly negotiate with the union during state-supervised talks.

Lyft in a statement said: “With the passage of this ballot measure, we look forward to working collaboratively on its implementations and addressing some of the language concerns we have during the legislative session next year.”

LYFT ADDS ROBOTAXIS

Lyft is driving into the robotaxi game. Reuters reported:

Lyft said on Wednesday it will partner with Mobileye and two other companies in the robotaxi industry to bring self-driving cars onto its ridehail platform and bolster research and development in the sector.

The app-based taxi platform will incorporate cars owned by third-party fleet operators, equipped with the Mobileye Drive self-driving system, as it looks to compete with rival Uber, which has signed a slew of autonomous taxi agreements.

STUDY: WAYMO IS SLOW AND EXPENSIVE

A new study shows Waymo is slower and pricier than taxis. Futurism reported:

Over 50 rides, not only were Waymo rides more expensive, but they also took twice as long compared to a ridehailing service like Uber.

“The current status of [autonomous vehicles] means that cost and time sensitive customers still choose rideshare,” reads the Forbes report. “For the time being, AVs will not be the low cost solution to transportation companies initially promised.”

Across the fifty samples, the average human-driven ride-hail price was $28.14, while an identical ride with a Waymo robotaxi cost $9.50 more — though that didn’t include a tip for the human driver. Assuming you added a 20 percent gratuity, you’d still be paying about $3.87 more.

That’s notable but not necessarily deal-breaking. Speed is where the gap broadens. The average time to pick up for Waymo was 7.2 minutes, compared to 3.4 for ridesharing, meaning that you’d be waiting twice as long on your robo-ride.

And most eegregiously, the average trip time in a robotaxi was a glacial 33:58 minutes, when hopping in an Uber or Lyft would take you only 15:20 minutes — a staggering 120 percent difference.

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