Alphabet subsidiary Waymo is testing up to eight of its autonomous cars, albeit with a person inside, in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn through late September, marking a first for New York.
Alphabet is also the parent company of Google.
Each test vehicle is required to have an autonomous vehicle specialist behind the wheel under city law.
Up to eight Waymo cars will drive around the two boroughs. The testing period runs until late September, though Waymo can apply for an extension, Mayor Eric Adams’ office said.
The permit applies only to testing. The cars’ use as taxis is prohibited by the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, the mayor’s office said.
“With over 10 million rides completed in five major U.S. cities and a strong safety record, we’re proud to be working with leaders to lay the groundwork to bring this life saving technology to New Yorkers one day, beginning with receiving the first-ever permit issued in the city to drive autonomously,” Annabel Chang, Waymo’s head of state and local public policy, said in a release.
Mr. Adams said, “New York City is proud to welcome Waymo to test this new technology in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as we know this testing is only the first step in moving our city further into the 21st century.”
