Philadelphia may soon add a surcharge every time a sidewalk robot brings you dinner. Councilmember Jim Harrity has proposed charging robot operators 50 cents per delivery or 5% of the order’s cost, whichever amount is larger. The money would help fund free transit passes for low-income residents.
Robots were already a flashpoint in the city. In October, police arrested 78-year-old Carolyn Marvin, a University of Pennsylvania professor emeritus, after she stood in front of an Uber Eats robot on a downtown sidewalk. She told PhillyVoice she has done this for months to protest “corporations that displace human delivery workers in order to enrich their own bottom line.”
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Police said she ignored “multiple commands” to move, resulting in a criminal violation notice for disorderly conduct. Marvin plans to contest it on First Amendment grounds.
What the bill would do
Harrity’s measure reaches beyond food. It would also charge driverless taxi services like Waymo, which is testing cars in Philadelphia, $1 per ride or 5% of the fare, and add a 3% tax on driverless freight vehicles. Companies would have to register with the city and file quarterly reports.
Harrity said the aim is to protect jobs. “In a perfect world,” he said, “no one will pay the tax because they’ll just ban the robots.” The rates could still be adjusted as the bill moves through committee, according to PhillyVoice…