New York City allows robotaxi company to test autonomous vehicles in Manhattan and Brooklyn

Audio By Carbonatix

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City is allowing the robotaxi company Waymo to test a few of its autonomous vehicles in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn, officials said Friday as the technology picks up in popularity in other metro areas.

The company will start with a pilot program to test up to eight autonomous vehicles in the city until late September, officials said. The vehicles won't be picking up passengers, since that's not currently allowed by local rules, and are required to have a test vehicle operator behind the wheel while they zip around the city's busy streets.

Waymo's robotaxis are already in place in U.S. cities such as Austin, Texas; Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Annabel Chang, a policy head for the company, said the company is "pleased to have reached this next step in New York City.”

New York officials last year launched a set of safety requirements around the testing of autonomous vehicles, saying that the city “presents some of the most challenging urban street environments" for the autonomous vehicles.

In a statement Friday, Mayor Eric Adams said "as we continue to implement responsible innovation, we will always prioritize street safety.”