The Trial of the Driverless Car

In Boston, a union stronghold, veteran rideshare driver Abdi Aziz and city councilors confront Waymo's driverless cars not as futuristic wonders but as the next wave threatening human drivers' livelihoods. After adapting to Uber's disruption of the taxi medallion system by recruiting for the company and later joining a nascent app drivers' union, Aziz sees Waymo—already testing in San Francisco—as aiming to eliminate drivers entirely. City Hall hearings reveal clashing priorities: protecting jobs versus improving safety and accessibility.

A Driver's Adaptation to Disruption

Abdi Aziz drove taxis and limos for 30 years before Uber arrived at Boston's airport in 2011, promising easy money via app without medallions. Recognizing the threat to the regulated taxi monopoly, Aziz joined Uber, recruiting hundreds of drivers weekly with company-supplied iPhones. Early years brought premium work like Uber Black, but by 2022, algorithmic pay changes—hiding Uber's take, which drivers suspect rose beyond the company's claimed 20% (citing taxes instead)—squeezed earnings. Many drivers, burdened by car loans, turned to unionizing. Aziz, an early recruit for the App Drivers Union, gathered 400 members, pushing a Massachusetts ballot initiative for union rights amid rumors of Waymo's mapping cars.