Waymo granted first permit to begin testing autonomous vehicles in New York City

Waymo is getting one step closer to rides in New York City.

The Alphabet autonomous vehicle subsidiary received its first permit from the New York Department of Transportation on Friday to start testing in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday. The rollout is the city's first autonomous vehicle testing launch.

Waymo will start testing up to eight vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through late September with the potential to extend the program. New York state law requires the company to have a driver behind the wheel to operate.

"We're a tech-friendly administration and we're always looking for innovative ways to safely move our city forward," Adams said in a release. "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."

The news comes just two months after the company said it filed permits to test its cars in the city with a trained specialist behind the wheel.

Waymo has hit expansion mode on its services nationwide, launching in Austin this year and expanding its San Francisco area operations in March. Waymo also plans to bring autonomous vehicles to Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. and recently said it will start operations in Philadelphia as it looks to break further into the Northeast market.

Waymo's CEO said the company surpassed 10 million robotaxi trips in May.

For years, autonomous vehicle companies have sought to introduce their technology to The Big Apple, with Waymo previously taking a crack at it in 2021. At that time, the company rolled out some cars in certain areas of the city for manual driving and data collection.

New York City has also expressed interest in bringing autonomous vehicles to the city. Last year, the Adams administration implemented a series of safety requirements for responsible testing in the city and opened a permit program.

As part of the permit, Waymo must regularly meet and report data to DOT and work closely with law enforcement and emergency services.

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