Australia's Transport Union Warns Driverless Taxis Could Kill 85,600 Jobs

A driverless robotaxi on a city street (file photo)

Australia's biggest transport union has fired a warning shot at the driverless future, telling the federal government that unrestricted autonomous taxis could wipe out 85,600 jobs and drain $220 million in driver earnings from the economy. The Transport Workers' Union wants strict limits on driverless rollouts — starting with a "human driver guarantee" that keeps 95 percent of drivers human, easing to 85 percent over time.

The union says Australia is sleepwalking into the same mistakes it made when Uber arrived, when governments failed to protect taxi and rideshare drivers from being undercut. It argues that without guardrails, robotaxi fleets run by global tech giants will hollow out one of the country's most common entry-level jobs, with the pain felt hardest in cities where gig driving keeps families afloat.

The intervention lands as autonomous vehicle trials gather pace worldwide, from Waymo's robotaxis in American cities to Tesla's Cybercab push. Supporters of the technology say driverless cars will be safer and cheaper — but for tens of thousands of Australian drivers, the question is simpler: who protects them when the steering wheel goes? The government has yet to respond to the union's demands.

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