Waymo Expands Testing of Robotaxis in Philadelphia and New York City

Waymo, the autonomous driving company owned by Alphabet, has started sending its robotaxi fleet on ‘road trips’ to map and test new cities. Recently, the company announced two new trips to Philadelphia and New York City. While these trips don’t immediately signal commercial operations, they are part of the company’s strategy to expand into new regions. In Philadelphia, Waymo will focus on complex areas like downtown, freeways, and neighborhoods such as North Central, Eastwick, and University City. In New York City, Waymo will manually drive its vehicles in areas including Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, and parts of Jersey City and Hoboken. The company has already applied for permits to test its autonomous vehicles in NYC, though approval is pending. The company’s expansion plan includes other cities like Miami and Washington D.C. While regulatory challenges remain, particularly in NYC where regulations don’t yet allow fully autonomous vehicles, Waymo’s goal is to eventually operate commercial robotaxi services in these cities.