Anabelle Colaco
27 Aug 2025, 13:19 GMT+10
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Alphabet's Waymo has secured its first permit to test autonomous vehicles in New York City. This allows the company to begin trials in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn as it expands its robotaxi operations across the U.S.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez confirmed the approval on August 22, saying Waymo will operate a limited number of vehicles with trained specialists behind the wheel to comply with state law.
While the cars will run in self-driving mode, state regulations require a human operator to be present at all times and ready to take control if needed.
Until now, Waymo has only conducted manual driving in the city. The company first brought vehicles to Manhattan in 2021 for mapping, data collection, and early testing, and resumed manual driving in July as it prepared for broader trials.
The approval marks a significant milestone for Waymo, which has been steadily scaling its fleet in the face of growing competition. Tesla, for instance, launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June, with ambitions to cover half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025.
Waymo currently operates about 1,500 vehicles and has completed more than 10 million rides in five major cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin.
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationBERLIN, Germany - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says he doesn't believe Israel targeted journalists in the attack on Gaza's Nasser...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration announced this week that it is conducting a sweeping review of more than 55 million people...
BANGKOK, Thailand: Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was acquitted on August 22 in a royal defamation case that could have...
GAZA - In two separate attacks, the Israeli army has killed six more journalists. In the first attack, 5 journalists, including one...
JERUSALEM, Israel: Israel's defense minister warned on August 22 that Gaza City faces destruction unless Hamas accepts Israel's conditions,...
NEW DELHI, India: India's Supreme Court has amended an earlier order on stray dogs, ruling that animals picked up in Delhi and surrounding...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has cast himself as a global peacemaker, repeatedly...
(Photo credit: David Richard-Imagn Images) Parker Messick struck out six over seven innings for his first win in the majors as the...
(Photo credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Isaac Collins delivered a walk-off sacrifice...
(Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images) The Cleveland Guardians placed longtime first baseman Carlos Santana on outright waivers...
(Photo credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images) Wilmer Flores and Matt Chapman smacked home runs, Heliot Ramos collected three hits and...
(Photo credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Isaac Collins delivered a walk-off sacrifice...
