Waymo is steadily moving closer to providing New York City trips. Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Friday that the Alphabet affiliate targeting autonomous vehicles has secured its first permission from the New York Department of Transportation. The permission was to start testing in the metropolis, transportation.
This represents the first launch of Waymo’s autonomous vehicle testing in New York City. Waymo is considering extending the program and intends to start testing eight cars in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn later in September. New York state law stipulates that the business needs to operate the car with a driver on hand. “We’re a tech-friendly administration and we’re always looking for innovative ways to safely move our city forward,” Mayor Adams said in a release.
He further added, “New York City is proud to welcome Waymo to test this new technology in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as we know this testing is only the first step in moving our city further into the 21st century.” Waymo announced this two months after it signaled that it had applied for permissions to test its cars in the city, with a trained expert at the wheel.
Following Tesla’s Robotaxi map, Waymo introduced its services in Austin, Texas, this year and extended its activities in the San Francisco region back in March, Waymo has been growing throughout the country. Recently revealed plans to start business in Philadelphia, as it also aims to launch autonomous vehicles in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C., seeking to move into the Northeast market.
Waymo’s Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana disclosed in May that the business had exceeded 10 million robotaxi rides. With Waymo once trying this in 2021, businesses focusing on autonomous vehicles have for years been desperate to apply their technology to the busy streets of New York City. Some cars were sent by the corporation to particular city regions for data collecting and hands-on driving projects. New York City has shown a great interest in including autonomous vehicles in its transportation network.
