Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo announced plans to resume autonomous vehicle testing in New York City next month, as competition intensifies in the U.S. robotaxi sector. The company has applied for a permit from the New York City Department of Transportation to begin autonomous operations with a safety driver behind the wheel.
“This is not an expansion, but we have every intention of bringing our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the city in the future,” Waymo said in a statement. The company added that it would initially operate its vehicles manually while awaiting regulatory approval. If granted, it would mark the first time autonomous vehicles are tested on public roads in Manhattan under city supervision.
New York State law currently prohibits operating autonomous vehicles without a human driver. Waymo said it is actively advocating for changes to enable future deployment of fully driverless vehicles in the state.
The move comes as Tesla prepares to launch limited trials of its own autonomous taxi service with a fleet of up to 10 vehicles this weekend, highlighting the growing momentum in the race to commercialize self-driving technology.
Waymo previously operated vehicles in Manhattan in 2021 for manual driving and data collection. Beyond New York, the company recently received approval to expand its services across more areas of the San Francisco Peninsula and parts of Silicon Valley.
With over 1,500 vehicles in its fleet, Waymo currently delivers more than 250,000 rides per week across its robotaxi services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, making it the only company in the U.S. offering fully autonomous rides to paying passengers.
