Waymo says they support the regulations, while Uber is against them.

Washington D.C. wants to set the first comprehensive barrier to entry for robotaxis in a major U.S. city, requiring 180 days of testing, 250,000 miles of operation, a $1M bond, a $5M license, and $0.15 per mile. Waymo is in favor of the bill since the company already passed the mileage requirement and gets at least a six-month head start over rivals.

As regulation becomes more of a competitive advantage, incumbents (who operate in cities) want strict barriers to entry and newcomers (like Uber) want “hybrid” regulation with no clear requirements. The more stringent the city regulations become, the sooner the AV industry consolidates into two or three players.