Waymo's autonomous road trips target northeastern cities
Waymo, the self-driving tech company, is now mapping streets in New York City and Philadelphia. Their goal? To get ready for launching robotaxi services in more US cities.
For now, they're using regular cars loaded with sensors to collect data and train their AI.
What's the mapping scenario?
In Philly, Waymo's cars are cruising downtown, freeways, and neighborhoods like North Central and University City—pretty much all over the city.
In NYC, they're covering Manhattan from north of Central Park down to The Battery, plus Downtown Brooklyn.
The cars are seen at all hours to grab as much info as possible.
Need state approval
Waymo wants to test its self-driving cars (with safety drivers) on NYC streets but needs state approval first since a human driver is still required by law.
This rule is slowing things down for their robotaxi rollout in New York.
Waymo's robotaxi service in other cities
Right now, you can book a Waymo robotaxi in places like LA, Phoenix, Atlanta, and the Bay Area.
They've got plans to launch in Miami next year and Washington D.C. after that—mapping new cities is how they prep for these big moves.