Premiere Transportation President David Brown, who has offices in Albany and Syracuse, recently penned an op-ed piece for N.Y.’s Times Union newspaper. The editorial deals with the debate over autonomous vehicles (AVs) within Albany and the surrounding Capital Region.
“Ask yourself: In that moment, would you rather have a locally based, experienced professional driver waiting to pick you up or an app directing you to a driverless vehicle?” posits Brown in the article, citing several difficult travel scenarios like heavy snow and tough traffic.
Brown goes on to question whether AVs are ready for real-world driving conditions.
“As founder and president of one of the Capital Region’s largest livery operations, I’ve spent more than 35 years helping move people safely across Upstate New York. I’ve learned that safe, reliable transportation is more than getting from one point to another,” writes Brown.
Premiere Transportation President David Brown
The operator further states that transportation is “a people business” where chauffeurs are responsible for assisting passengers when unexpected situations arise. They are more than simply drivers taking clients from point A to point B.
In his op-ed, Brown also sites a poll from the Siena Research Institute that found that nearly 60% of voters would feel unsafe riding in a vehicle without a person driving. The same poll also reported that the majority of New Yorkers believe robotaxis will impact the economy as they threaten good-paying jobs.
“I’ve spent over three decades building a transportation company and working alongside professional drivers. I’ve seen firsthand how these jobs support families and provide stable careers in communities across upstate New York. For many drivers, these professions are built on years of experience, customer service, and local knowledge that cannot be easily replaced overnight,” writes Brown.
A noted advocate for Upstate New York operators as a longtime member of the Limousine-Bus-Taxi Operators of Upstate New York, Brown recognizes that while efforts to bring AVs upstate was not in the state’s budget in 2026, there has been a push by legislators to establish a pilot program in the Capital Region.
“This is not an argument against innovation. It is an argument for making sure that when this debate [for AVs] returns to Albany, public safety, accessibility and working people are not treated as afterthoughts,” writes Brown.
To read the full piece, simply click here.
Visit ridepremiere.com for more information.
[07.20.26]
