Waymo Aims to Test Autonomous Vehicles With Human Drivers in New York City

Waymo has applied for a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in New York City with a human driver behind the wheel.

This is one step the company has taken in its plan to serve New Yorkers in the future, the company said in a Wednesday (June 18) post on X.

“We’ve applied for a [New York City Department of Transportation] permit to drive autonomously with a specialist behind the wheel while we’re in the city — a key step to one day serving New Yorkers,” Waymo said in another post on X. “We’re also advocating for changes to state law to allow us to bring our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the city one day.”

Neither New York City nor New York state have regulations that support commercially operated autonomous vehicles, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The permit for which Waymo has applied would allow the company to operate its vehicles autonomously in the city with a human driver behind the wheel, according to the report.

Waymo also plans to have a human driver operate the company’s vehicles in New York City to collect mapping data and evaluate its technology, the report said.

The company currently operates fully autonomous robotaxis in Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix, San Franciscoand nearby area, and plans to expand its service to Atlanta later this summer and Miami and Washington next year, per the report.

A Waymo spokesperson told Bloomberg: “We’re hopeful New York can enact regulatory changes that would allow us to bring our service to the city and state in the future, and we continue to have positive conversations with local and state elected officials, regulators and community organizations.”

CNBC reported Wednesday that Waymo operated its cars with human drivers in parts of New York City in 2021, for data collection and testing.

Waymo said in January that it planned to test its autonomous vehicles, with a driver behind the wheel, in 10 new cities in 2025. The company said these “road trips” allow Waymo to see how its self-driving vehicles adapt to traffic patterns, road design, weather conditions and other factors in different cities.