Waymo secured a permit from New York City on Friday to test its autonomous vehicles on the city’s streets, days after New Yorkers reported spotting some of Waymo’s distinctive cars driving around Manhattan, though the vehicles had human drivers.

It's the first permit of its kind, and a crucial step along the path toward launching a true robotaxi service in the Big Apple.

Waymo gets NYC's first autonomous vehicle testing permit to deploy eight self-driving SUVs in Manhattan and Brooklyn through September 2025.