Waymo will start testing its autonomous cars in New York again

Waymo’s autonomous cars are heading back to New York City in July, the company announced today. Cars will be manually driven for now, not unlike the mapping tests Waymo ran in 2021, but the company says it ultimately wants to bring the same autonomous ride-hailing service it offers in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles to NYC.

New York state law currently doesn’t allow for the operation of a vehicle without a human driver, an obvious obstacle for a company like Waymo. As a bridge to offering its full service, Waymo says it’s applied for a permit with the New York Department of Transportation to operate vehicles autonomously with a trained specialist behind the wheel. If NYC DOT approves the permit, the company says this will be the first “testing deployment” of autonomous vehicles in New York City.

Waymo’s previous excursion in New York was focused on navigating city traffic and dealing with icy and snowy weather. Each city the company enters presents a new challenge, but the places Waymo currently operates are primarily in drier, warmer climates. For now, getting the state and city onboard with autonomous vehicles seems like the larger issue.

Outside of New York, Waymo continues to grow. The company recently expanded its service area around San Francisco and Los Angeles, came to Austin with the help of Uber in March and plans to either offer paid rides or test its self-driving system in several other cities over the next year.