Self-driving cars coming to NYC as Waymo is given green light for testing
Waymo has been given the green light to test its self-driving cars on New York City streets.
Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday that the tech company was awarded the first permit to start testing autonomous vehicles in the city this year.
Self-driving cars coming to NYC
Waymo, owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, will be allowed to test up to eight self-driving vehicles in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn until late September, but it may apply for an extension, according to the city.
The California-based company will be held to "the nation's strictest AV safety rules, including a requirement to have a trained AV-specialist behind the wheel at all times," the city's announcement read.
"We're a tech-friendly administration and we're always looking for innovative ways to safely move our city forward," a statement by Adams read in part. "As we know this testing is only the first step in moving our city further into the 21st century. As we continue to implement responsible innovation, we will always prioritize street safety."
Waymo, after applying for the permit in June, will work closely with the New York City Department of Transportation during its testing window.
The DOT said Waymo was approved to only test its AV technology. The self-driving cars are not allowed to pick up passengers because the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission currently prohibits autonomous vehicles in for-hire rides.
"With over 10 million rides completed in five major U.S. cities and a strong safety record, we're proud to be working with leaders to lay the groundwork to bring this life saving technology to New Yorkers one day, beginning with receiving the first-ever permit issued in the city to drive autonomously," Annabel Chang, Waymo's head of U.S. state and local public policy, said.
Waymo would need a TLC license in order to give rides with its self-driving cars.
Safer streets?
Waymo currently operates in five major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, where the company touts millions of rides. But the company's autonomous cars have been involved in accidents and there have been lawsuits over injuries and safety.
Unleashing the autonomous cars on crowded city streets, like 42nd Street in Manhattan, might sound concerning to some, especially since they would have to navigate around other vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians, including jaywalkers.
To alleviate some of those initial worries, City DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in his statement Waymo will be held to "comprehensive safety guidelines to ensure safe, responsible testing on our city's streets."
The Transport Workers Union came out in strong opposition to autonomous cars in New York due to potential safety hazards and job losses, and promised to fight any attempts to bring them here.
"New Yorkers be warned, Waymo will turn pedestrians into cannon fodder and will block streets for emergency responders," TWU International President John Samuelsen said. "Waymo isn't ready for NYC's streets and the end goal is to replace rideshare drivers, taxi drivers, and transit workers with robots."
The executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance also does not think the technology, or the city, is ready yet.
"If we're going to expedite taking jobs away from people, we should at least have a plan ready to make sure that they're not sunk into generational poverty," Bhairavi Desai said.
Laqbir Ezheiri, a New York City taxi driver for the past 15 years, said Friday's announcement already has him questioning his future.
"It's the only job I have," he said. "It's already no good now with Uber and Lyft."
Paige Carbone, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) New York, said autonomous vehicles could be a catalyst in preventing deaths and injuries caused by impaired drivers "if deployed responsibly and safely."
"We welcome this next step for New Yorkers as Waymo receives the first permit of its kind," Carbone said.
Last year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey started testing self-driving shuttles at John F. Kennedy International Airport.