Waymo announced plans to launch its autonomous cars on the streets of New York City starting next month, but unlike its robotaxi services in other states, it will include a human driver in the vehicle to comply with local regulations. The company has applied for a necessary permit from the city’s Transportation Department as per guidelines set by Mayor Eric Adams. Current New York laws require at least one hand on the steering wheel for any operational vehicle.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google, aims to change state law to allow fully autonomous vehicles without a human driver, similar to its services in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. In the meantime, Waymo will begin manually driving in the city while its permit application is under review. The mayor’s office emphasized their commitment to public safety and responsible innovation in the realm of autonomous vehicles, noting that Waymo is the first company to seek such a permit.
While Waymo is not ready to fully expand its services in New York City as it is in other cities like Atlanta and Miami, it expressed intentions to eventually offer a fully autonomous ride-hailing service. This comes as the landscape for robotaxis is evolving, with the Trump administration relaxing some regulations and competitors like Tesla preparing to launch a robotaxi service in Austin.
However, the expansion of autonomous vehicle technology faces significant opposition, particularly from organized labor groups concerned about potential job losses for drivers in various sectors, including taxis and trucking.
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