Futuristic robot taxis are on their way to New York City, which might just render those classic yellow taxis obsolete.
This week, Waymo, a driverless ride-sharing service that’s part of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, began mapping city streets with its fleet.
“We’re running in the Big Apple,” the company announced. They also encouraged residents to wave and snap photos if they spot one of their vehicles while testing.
Earlier last month, Waymo submitted an application to the Department of Transportation. As part of this application, they must have a “human safety operator” in the driver’s seat to satisfy local regulations.
A representative from Waymo mentioned they are eager to bring their service to New Yorkers while advocating for necessary adjustments to state law.
However, there are currently a couple of state bills stuck in the committee that aim to address these regulations, first introduced in January.
If granted approval, it would mark the first test of self-driving cars in the city—something Waymo officials are quite excited about.
The data Waymo has presented suggests that their technology surpasses human drivers, notably decreasing the chances of traffic accidents that lead to injuries.
Yet, the entrance of these robot taxis into the market poses serious questions regarding the future of employment for many taxi and ride-sharing drivers in the city.
New York Taxi Worker Alliance Executive Director Bailavidesai emphasized concerns about the potential unemployment for over 200,000 drivers, as well as safety measures for the estimated million daily riders.
Waymo’s electric vehicles will traverse neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, and Boerum Hill, mapping out the terrain to enhance their artificial intelligence capabilities.
The company plans to also venture into Jersey City and Hoboken as part of their broader Metro Area exploration.
Previously, Waymo had manually driven through Manhattan in 2021, mainly to gather weather data.
Now, their Waymo Driver Technology is designed to record information that improves navigation, helping it deal with jaywalkers, cyclists, carriages, taxis, and various street construction challenges.
Waymo’s statement suggests they are aiming to offer fully autonomous ride services in the future.
Currently, they are already conducting approximately 250,000 completely autonomous trips weekly across locations like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, with plans to introduce fully autonomous driving in Washington, DC, later this year and in 2026.
-Additional reports by Taylor Herzlich.
