Waymo can keep testing driverless cars in NYC for 2025
Waymo just got the go-ahead to keep testing its self-driving Jaguar I-Pace cars in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn until the end of 2025.
Up to eight robotaxis will be cruising city streets, but they'll still have human safety drivers behind the wheel.
This builds on their first permit from August, which let them test without following NYC's "one hand on the wheel" rule.
Waymo has to follow strict guidelines
Waymo has to play by some strict guidelines—think regular reports to the Department of Transportation, solid cybersecurity, and close coordination with city agencies.
For now, only cars with safety operators can hit the road.
Also, New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn't allow these AVs to pick up paying passengers yet since Waymo hasn't applied for those extra licenses.
Waymo already runs commercial robotaxi rides in other US cities
Waymo already runs commercial robotaxi rides in other US cities and is eyeing Miami next.
Testing in New York's famously wild traffic is a big step—but it also shows how many hurdles are left before driverless cars become everyday reality here.
As Assemblymember Brian Cunningham put it, this could help make city travel safer and more accessible if all goes well.