Waymo applies to test self-driving cars on New York City streets as robotaxis race heats up

Alphabet’s self-driving unit, Waymo, announced on Wednesday that it plans to resume autonomous vehicle testing in New York City next month as part of its broader effort to scale operations across the United States. The move comes amid intensifying competition in the robotaxi space, with Tesla also preparing to launch limited trials of its autonomous taxi service in Austin, Texas.

Testing with human specialists in Manhattan

Waymo has submitted an application to the New York City Department of Transportation to begin testing a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in Manhattan. Initially, these cars will be manually driven, with a trained specialist behind the wheel, as required by local regulations. If approved, the deployment would mark New York City’s first sanctioned autonomous vehicle testing on public roads.

“This is not an expansion, but we have every intention of bringing our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the city in the future,” Waymo said in a statement.

New York State law currently prohibits the operation of autonomous vehicles without a human driver present. Waymo confirmed it is advocating for a change to this law to eventually allow fully driverless operations in the state.

Return to familiar ground

Waymo’s upcoming return to Manhattan follows its earlier presence in the city in 2021, when it conducted manual driving and data collection to train its self-driving systems. The company views the dense, complex urban environment of New York as a critical testbed for the continued advancement of its technology.

Expansion on the West Coast

In parallel with its plans in New York, Waymo is also expanding its operational footprint in California. The company has begun rolling out autonomous ride-hailing services across more areas of the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley. Last month, it received regulatory approval to grow its coverage in the state.

Waymo is adding new service zones in cities including Brisbane, South San Francisco, Millbrae, and Burlingame, and expanding in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and additional parts of Los Angeles. While it has secured approval to operate in San Jose, it has not yet announced when it will launch services there.

Commercial Robotaxis

Waymo remains the only U.S. company operating a commercial robotaxi service with paying passengers. With a fleet of over 1,500 vehicles, the company currently runs more than 250,000 rides per week across major cities including San Francisco and Los Angeles in California, Phoenix in Arizona, and Austin in Texas.

The renewed activity by Waymo and the upcoming Tesla trial signal accelerating momentum in the U.S. autonomous vehicle industry, with both firms aiming to shape the future of urban mobility through scalable, driverless ride-hailing services.