New York City regulators have extended Waymo’s self-driving vehicle testing permit by the end of the year, the company said Wednesday.
The permit was first granted in August to allow Waymo to test Robotaxis in the city until the end of September. The conditions for the extension are the same. Waymo can deploy up to eight Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. A Waymo spokesperson said the permit would exempt New York regulations, which require company drivers to keep one hand on the wheel at all times.
Waymo’s permission extension shows it is directed towards being the first AV company to launch the Robotaxi service on NYC’s chaotic and dense streets. The company currently operates commercial services in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Phoenix and Los Angeles, and is set to open to the public the following year in Miami, Washington, DC, Dallas, Denver and Nashville.
“As a sponsor of the state-level self-driving vehicle law, we recommend that New York City move forward in testing showing how this technology can improve safety, reduce congestion and increase mobility.” “This is the type of measured innovation that can be prepared for New Yorkers while ensuring progress works for them.”
Still, Waymo has a long way to go to New York. This is the city that Alphabet-owned companies have been trying to run since 2021. With this permit, Waymo will not carry passengers without obtaining separate licenses from the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, nor will it operate a commercial Robotaxis service. A Waymo spokesman declined to comment on whether the company is in consultation to apply for these licenses. TechCrunch contacted TLC to learn more about the requirements of AV companies.
Another hurdle is that New York has no permission structure to allow Waymo or other AV companies to test or deploy Robotaxis without human safety drivers. Laws have been introduced to create a framework for driverless operation, but they have not yet been passed on to the law.
