A Historic Event: Self-Driving Cars to Start Testing on New York Streets

Waymo has been granted permission to begin testing its self-driving cars in New York City. Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez issued official statements confirming the news.

The company is authorized to deploy up to eight Jaguar I-Pace SUVs in specific areas of Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. Testing will run through the end of September 2025, after which Waymo may apply for an extension.

A trained safety operator must remain behind the wheel of each vehicle at all times, ready to take control if necessary. Waymo is also prohibited from picking up passengers, as it would need a taxi and limousine commission license for that, and it must regularly meet with DOT officials to provide data from the trials.

“We are an administration that supports technology and are always looking for innovative ways to grow our city safely,” Mayor Adams said in a press release. “New York proudly welcomes Waymo to test this new technology in Manhattan and Brooklyn, knowing this is just the first step in bringing our city into the 21st century. As we continue responsible innovation, street safety will always come first.”

The city’s approval follows the Adams administration’s launch last year of a permitting program for autonomous vehicle testing, described by officials as having “the strictest safety requirements in the nation.” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez added: “These requirements will help ensure the development of this technology remains focused first and foremost on the safety of everyone using our busy city streets.”

New York has hosted limited autonomous vehicle trials before. In 2021, Intel subsidiary Mobileye tested vehicles in the city, and in 2019, Optimus Ride operated a service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. However, Waymo’s rollout marks the first official testing under the city’s updated regulatory framework.

Waymo already offers commercial robotaxi services in several U.S. cities, including Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Annabel Chang, Waymo’s head of state and local policy in the U.S., noted that the company has safely completed over 10 million rides across five major American cities.

Read the original article on Auto30.