Waymo’s robotaxi testing program was stopped in New York City last week, raising questions about its future in the state. The decision comes after a pair of permits issued to Waymo expired on March 31.
A Department of Transportation spokesperson confirmed to THE CITY that the permits that allowed Waymo to test its autonomous vehicles in select areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn expired at the end of last month.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, was allowed to road test its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and the New York City DOT until the expiry of its permit.
Eight robotaxis with a trained person behind the wheel had been deployed south of 112th Street in Manhattan since last year, and in Downtown Brooklyn. Importantly, no collisions were reported by Waymo during its testing phase.
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However, the future for Waymo’s autonomous vehicles in New York remains uncertain. Vin Barone, a spokesperson for DOT, said in a statement that public safety will be a priority when making future decisions. He said:
“Our top priority for AV testing is public safety and, as the mayor has made clear, any AV policy decisions will center workers and their well-being.”
Waymo’s robotaxis are already in operation in ten U.S. cities without the need for a trained person in the driver’s seat, such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston.
New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul reportedly halted plans to allow self-driving cars to operate around New York City. Waymo is hoping that the state will allow it to resume testing through a renewal of the state DMV testing permit in this year’s state budget. A Waymo spokesperson said:
“We’ve heard from thousands of New Yorkers who have already experienced Waymo and want access to it at home. While we are disappointed with the governor’s decision, we’re committed to working with the state legislature to bring Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles to New York.”
However, Waymo has some opposition from taxi operators. Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said:
“Neither the city nor the state are ready. We don’t have any policies or regulations in place and to allow these companies to roll out their gadgets means they will shape what the policies will be.”
