New York State Abandons Commercial Robotaxi Proposal
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 19 2026
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Should l Buy GOOGL?
Source: Newsfilter
- Proposal Withdrawal Impact: New York Governor Hochul's abandonment of the commercial robotaxi pilot proposal represents a significant setback for Waymo, which had been testing its autonomous vehicles in the state and aimed to expand its service there.
- Stakeholder Opposition: The proposal faced strong pushback from labor unions, transit workers, and rideshare drivers, with Hochul stating that conversations with stakeholders indicated a lack of support, reflecting public concerns over the safety of autonomous vehicles.
- Testing Permit Unaffected: Despite the withdrawal of the proposal, Waymo's testing in New York City will continue, as the company has received a permit from the New York Department of Transportation to conduct limited autonomous vehicle testing in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
- Market Expansion Plans: Waymo plans to launch its commercial driverless ride-hailing service in several new cities, including Dallas, Denver, and Washington D.C., and despite regulatory challenges, it remains committed to collaborating with the state legislature to advance this issue.
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Analyst Views on GOOGL
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOGL stock price to rise
33 Analyst Rating
26 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 306.520
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
Current: 306.520
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
About GOOGL
Alphabet Inc. is a holding company. The Company's segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Its Other Bets segment is engaged in the sale of healthcare-related services and Internet services. Its Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Gemini for Google Cloud; cybersecurity, and data and analytics. Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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