Waymo Halts NYC Robotaxi Trials After City and State Permits Lapse

Overview

• Waymo’s New York testing ended March 31 after both city and state permits expired, though the company can still manually drive cars for data collection, according to NYC DOT.
• The pilot used eight Jaguar I‑PACE vehicles with a trained safety driver in Downtown Brooklyn and in Manhattan below 112th Street, and NYC DOT says no crashes were reported.
• Waymo says it will revisit New York operations if a DMV testing permit is renewed in the state budget now under negotiation.
• Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not taken a clear position, stressing protections for taxi and for‑hire drivers as labor groups push for guardrails and outside safety reviews.
• Governor Kathy Hochul pulled back an AV expansion plan in February, and state law still requires a human driver, so any restart would be limited to supervised trials rather than paid rides.