Waymo launched new autonomous vehicle road tests in Philadelphia and New York City.
The Alphabet-owned company sent human-driven cars equipped with its self-driving tech to map and test these new markets. Philly testing covers downtown, freeways, and neighborhoods like North Central and Eastwick.
In NYC, Waymo’s vehicles are driving manually from just north of Central Park down to The Battery and across parts of Brooklyn. The company also mapped Jersey City and Hoboken in New Jersey. 
Waymo applied for a permit last month to test AVs autonomously in NYC but hasn’t gotten approval yet.
“Folks will see Waymo vehicles driving ‘at all hours throughout various Philadelphia neighborhoods, from North Central to Eastwick, University City, and as far east as the Delaware River.’”
— Waymo spokesperson
This isn’t Waymo’s first NYC effort—they deployed a small Manhattan and NJ fleet in late 2021. The company also tested in Buffalo this winter for winter driving conditions.
New York regulations still require a human in the front seat, blocking fully driverless operations. Waymo is pushing to change that rule.
So far, Waymo runs commercial robotaxi services in Atlanta, Austin, the Bay Area, LA, and Phoenix. Miami is next this year, with Washington, D.C., planned for 2026.
Waymo’s road trips have led to launches before, like in Santa Monica last year, but these new Northeast tests likely mean the company is prepping for future expansions, not immediate service.
