Waymo is taking a major step toward deploying its self-driving technology in one of the world’s busiest urban environments. The Alphabet-backed (GOOG, GOOGL) company announced it plans to bring its robotaxi service to New York City next month.
“We’ve applied for a @NYC_DOT permit to drive autonomously with a specialist behind the wheel while we’re in the city — a key step to one day serving New Yorkers,” the company shared in a post on X.
Waymo also said it is pushing for changes to state law that would allow it to operate a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the future. Navigating New York’s notoriously complex traffic—filled with pedestrians, cyclists, delivery vehicles, and heavy congestion—is considered one of the toughest challenges for autonomous vehicles.
The move comes as part of Waymo’s broader national expansion strategy. The company currently runs driverless ride services in parts of San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin, and recently announced it was growing its footprint in greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla (TSLA), meanwhile, is preparing to launch robotaxi testing in Austin next week. Unlike Waymo, Tesla won’t use safety drivers in the vehicle but will rely on remote teleoperators. Last week, two Tesla robotaxis were spotted testing in Austin with company employees seated in the passenger seat.
Waymo leads the robotaxi industry with more than 250,000 autonomous rides each week. Competitors include Amazon-backed Zoox, China’s Pony AI (PONY), WeRide (WRD), and Tesla—though none operate in as many cities or provide as many rides as Waymo. This week, Volkswagen’s MOIA unveiled its ID. Buzz AD robotaxi in Germany, but it plans to rely on platforms like Uber to deploy its vehicles.
Waymo says it’s ramping up vehicle production, with plans to expand its fleet to 2,500 vehicles in the near future. While that scale is modest compared to traditional automakers like Tesla or VW, Waymo is addressing the gap through partnerships with manufacturers such as Toyota and China’s Zeekr.
Currently, Waymo offers over 250,000 paid, fully autonomous rides per week in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin. However, operating without a human backup driver remains illegal in New York state. The company said it plans to advocate for changes to the law, noting that any self-driving system—regardless of driver presence—still requires official approval from New York City.
Waymo has also partnered with Uber to provide service in Phoenix and Austin, while managing operations independently in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The company is preparing to launch in new markets, including Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, Tesla plans to kick off its own robotaxi service in Austin this Sunday and expand to other cities in the “coming months.” However, the company has been promising its widespread robotaxi rollout was just “a year away” since 2019.
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