Waymo to begin testing in Philadelphia with safety drivers behind the wheel

Waymo said it will begin testing in Philadelphia, the company's effort to try and expand into Northeastern cities

The company will begin "road trip" testing from summer through the fall

Waymo last month announced plans to drive vehicles manually in New York for testing

Fallon | AFP | Getty ImagesWaymo said it will begin testing in Philadelphia, with a limited fleet of vehicles and human safety drivers behind the wheel. "This city is a National Treasure," Waymo wrote in a post on X on Monday. "It's a city of love, where eagles fly with a gritty spirit and cheese that spreads and cheese that steaks

Our road trip continues to Philly next. "The Alphabet-owned company confirmed to CNBC that it will be testing in Pennsylvania's largest city through the fall, adding that the initial fleet of cars will be manually driven through the more complex parts of Philadelphia, including downtown and on freeways. "Folks will see our vehicles driving at all hours throughout various neighborhoods, from North Central to Eastwick, and from University City to as far east as the Delaware River," a Waymo spokesperson said

With its so-called road trips, Waymo seeks to collect mapping data and evaluate how its autonomous nology, Waymo Driver, performs in new environments, handling traffic patterns and local infrastructure

Road trips are often used a way for the company to gauge whether it can potentially offer a paid ride service in a particular location

The expanded testing, which will go through the fall, comes as Waymo aims for a broader rollout

Last month, the company announced plans to drive vehicles manually in New York for testing, marking the first step toward potentially cracking the largest U

Waymo applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation to operate autonomously with a trained specialist behind the wheel in Manhattan

State law currently doesn't allow for such driverless operations

Alphabet has been under pressure to monetize artificial intelligence ducts as it bolsters spending on infrastructure

Alphabet's "Other Bets" segment, which includes Waymo, brought in revenue of $1. 65 billion in 2024, up from $1. 53 billion in 2023

Here's what we sawAutos.