New York City approved a pilot allowing up to eight Waymo autonomous vehicles to operate in Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn through late September. The vehicles will not pick up passengers and must have a test vehicle operator behind the wheel. Local rules currently prohibit passenger service during testing and include safety requirements for autonomous vehicle operations. The city determined that dense urban streets present challenging environments for autonomous systems. Waymo already operates robotaxis in Austin, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. City policy emphasizes responsible innovation while prioritizing street safety.
NEW YORK - 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.
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."
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