Waymo starts autonomous testing in Philadelphia

Waymo has expanded its autonomous vehicle testing to Philadelphia, marking the addition of a fourth city to its robotaxi rollout efforts. Alongside Philadelphia, the company is beginning manual driving data collection in Baltimore, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. While Waymo has not provided specific timelines for commercial service launches in these new cities or confirmed potential partnerships, the move adds to its presence in over 20 cities where it is either offering rides, preparing for commercial launches, or conducting tests. Notably, Waymo also operates autonomous rides on freeways in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area, aiming to reach one million rides per week by the end of 2026. Despite these advancements, Waymo faces scrutiny regarding safety concerns. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating incidents involving Waymo vehicles driving around stopped school buses, including footage from Atlanta in September. Further reports from Austin indicate that Waymo vehicles have repeatedly driven past school buses during loading and unloading, even