Big Bucks for Austin

Austinites raise impressive $8.5 million in record-breaking event

Austin raised more than $8 million in 24 hours.

Photo courtesy of I Live Here, I Give Here

This deserves a pat on the back: Austin has raised more than $8.5 million for local nonprofits in just 24 hours.

Amplify Austin — the online fundraiser spearheaded by I Live Here, I Give Here — shattered last year's record of $7.7 million but fell just short of the ambitious $9 million goal. From March 8 to 9, nearly 62,000 individual donations were given to more than 600 nonprofits.

"This year, we saw an increase of more than 10 percent in total donations, and more Central Texans participated in Amplify Austin than ever before. We are excited to have surpassed last year's fundraising event. In doing so, we have also raised awareness of the important services provided by area nonprofits," said Celeste Flores, executive director of I Live Here, I Give Here, in a press release.

Once again, The Boys & Girls Club raked in the most donations ($488,270), followed by YMCA of Austin ($315,051.29), and Hospice Austin ($222,894.14). I Live Here, I Give Hereand Austin Pets Alive! received the most individual donations.

Now in its fourth year, the Amplify Austin event has brought in a grand total of $24.7 million for the community — but the giving shouldn't be limited to the 24-hour period.

"The Amplify Austin platform is available year-round to donate to or fundraise for your favorite causes. We hope to inspire the people of Central Texas and their neighbors to make a difference in their communities by connecting them with the causes they're passionate about on one easy-to-use platform," Flores said.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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