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Waymo is making moves to test its self-driving vehicles in the Big Apple. The Alphabet company has applied for a permit to hit the streets of New York City with its autonomous cars, starting a process that’s no walk in Central Park.
### Testing the Waters
Waymo’s plan is to operate its self-driving Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in Manhattan with a human safety operator onboard. New York City regulations are tough cookies, demanding a human driver ready to take the wheel, a hefty insurance policy, and trained operators behind the scenes.
### Facing the Challenges
New York State’s laws on autonomous vehicles are no picnic. While Waymo is making strides, it’s still a ways off from launching fully autonomous operations in the city. But they’re not throwing in the towel just yet.
### Driving Forward
The company is pushing for changes in state laws to allow driverless vehicles to roam the streets sans human supervision. They’re also teaming up with local organizations to build support and goodwill. It’s a tough nut to crack, but Waymo is revving up for the challenge.
Waymo has been eyeing NYC for a while now. In 2021, they rolled out their Chrysler Pacifica minivans to manually navigate the city and gather data. While fully autonomous trips are still a work in progress in the city that never sleeps, Waymo has been cruising in other U.S. markets, clocking in over 250,000 self-driving trips per week.
So, keep your eyes on the road, NYC—Waymo might just be coming your way sooner than you think.
