Waymo eyes Philadelphia expansion
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Robotaxis are coming to Philadelphia.
Why it matters: Waymo's planned expansion to Philly would bring the first fleet of self-driving taxis to city streets.
Driving the news: Waymo revealed today that Philly and Pittsburgh are among more than a dozen new cities the company will deploy its robotaxis in the future.
- Yes, but: When you can start hailing a Waymo robotaxi is TBD, a company spokesperson tells Axios.
The big picture: Waymo is in the midst of a head-spinning robotaxi expansion, Axios' Joann Muller reports.
- It's currently operating in five cities — Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta and Austin (the latter two in partnership with Uber).
- With 2,500 robotaxis on the road and more than 100 million fully autonomous miles driven, Waymo is by far the industry's 800-pound gorilla.
Zoom in: Waymo began testing its signature white Jaguar i-Pace EVs with a human in the driver's seat this summer in Philly.
- But the company recently switched to autonomous driving with a trained specialist on board as it progresses toward fully autonomous driving, a Waymo spokesperson tells Axios.
Context: Unlike in other states, Pennsylvania allows companies to operate autonomous vehicles both with or without a safety driver behind the wheel, according to state rules.
- Seven companies currently have certifications to operate automated vehicles in the Commonwealth, per the state's DOT.
- Waymo currently only has approval to operate autonomously with a human driver on board in Philly.
Worth noting: Local cities cannot specifically target or ban highly automated vehicles like robotaxis, per state law.
State of play: No companies are operating fully autonomously (with no driver on board) in Pennsylvania, state Department of Transportation spokesperson Alexis Campbell tells Axios.
- Plus: The agency hasn't received any applications to do so yet.
Worth noting: Philly's first foray into autonomous vehicles was a pilot program at the Navy Yard in 2024, which was a shuttle with human backup drivers on board.
- That pilot ended earlier this year.
What they're saying: Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr., vice chairman of City Council transportation committee, tells Axios that Philly should lean into the autonomous-vehicle technology.
- Yes, but: He had concerns about the potential loss of jobs and whether driverless vehicles can handle Philly drivers and navigate the city's old street infrastructure.
- "We're not known to be some of the safest drivers in the country," he added.
What we're watching: Whether Philly accepts or rejects robotaxis.
- Philadelphians are already skeptical about self-driving cars, per an Axios Philly poll from earlier this year.