Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo received the first city permit to test fully autonomous vehicles on public streets in New York, Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Transportation said Friday. The authorization, effective immediately, lets the company deploy up to eight Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn through late September, with an option to renew. Under the permit, each vehicle must carry a trained safety operator who keeps at least one hand on the wheel, and Waymo must regularly share data with the city and coordinate with emergency services. The approval is the inaugural test under a safety regime the Adams administration introduced last year to regulate autonomous vehicles in the nation’s most congested urban environment. The New York trial extends Waymo’s rapid expansion beyond existing services in San Francisco, Phoenix, Austin and Los Angeles. The company, which surpassed 10 million commercial robotaxi trips in May, has also announced plans for Atlanta, Miami, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Rival Tesla is hiring Autopilot operators in New York but has yet to seek a local testing permit.