There is no more autonomous driving in NYC, at least for now.
Permits allowing Waymo to operate its robotaxis in New York City expired at the end of March, leaving the future of driverless cars in the city uncertain.
The permits were issued last year and allowed Waymo to test a fleet of eight vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, each with a safety specialist behind the wheel. According to the New York City Department of Transportation, the program ended without any collisions reported, which is notable given the city’s dense and unpredictable traffic environment.
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Despite that, city officials said that safety will guide whether new permits will be issued. “Our top priority for AV testing is public safety,” a DOT spokesperson said, adding that decisions regarding any robotaxi future within the city will also consider the livelihoods of drivers in the city’s massive taxi workforce.
Waymo has fully driverless vehicles in several major US cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, and is looking to expand even more. In New York, however, the expiration of the city permits follows a broader slowdown at the state level, where Gov. Kathy Hochul backed away from proposals that would have seen autonomous vehicle operations extend outside the city.
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Traffic in New York City.
Waymo said it is seeking to renew its permit and remains committed to bringing its technology to New York. For now, its vehicles can still be manually driven in the city to collect data, but fully autonomous testing cannot resume without approvals.
Representatives of taxi and rideshare drivers warn that allowing robotaxi services could disrupt tens of thousands of jobs, while some analysts argue that independent safety data is still lacking. Critics also point to the complexity of New York streets, where plentiful pedestrian and bicycle traffic along with crowded roadways present unique challenges not seen in other cities.
But for a couple of sketchy, short-lived gigs right out of college, Natalie Neff has had the good fortune to spend the entirety of her professional life around cars. A 2017 Honda Ridgeline, 1972 VW Beetle, 1999 Ducati Monster and a well-loved purple-and-white five-speed Schwinn currently call her garage home.
