Companies Are Asking Cities To Pay For Their Own Self-Driving Cars

In some cities, if residents want to see self-driving cars on the street they’re going to have to pay up. Companies like Waymo and Dominos are rolling out self-driving vehicles across the country. But now cities, states, and the federal government are being asked to cover the cost of rolling out these vehicles.

There aren’t any hard numbers on what the cars would cost cities but Axios reports that there have been two contracts drawn up that could give us an idea. And it ranges anywhere from $27,000 a month for cities that sign up for one year of service to a discounted rate of $8,000 per month for cities that sign up for a five-year contract.

Some cities and states are jumping on board. The state of Rhode Island has committed to pay $800,000 for an autonomous shuttle service launching in its capital city of Providence in 2019. The city of Arlington, Texas, has also contracted a company to operate three vehicles in its entertainment district, which will cost the city 20 percent of the $435,000 bill, while the federal government will cover the rest.

So where do you fall on the subject? Are you excited to see the self-driving vehicles on the streets? Or do you want to wait it out until the companies can fund them themselves?