Robots are set to take the streets of Philly by storm, as residents could begin seeing automated automobiles sharing the streets with automobiles and buses in Middle Metropolis this summer time.
This robotic rollout can be a part of Waymo’s “highway journey” collection, through which automobiles are examined on metropolis streets to enhance their driving capabilities. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s dad or mum firm Alphabet, says there are not any fast plans for an autonomous taxi service in Philly.
The California-based firm says that the automobiles can be examined with a human behind the wheel throughout coaching and can endure further testing in a few of Philadelphia’s tougher areas, like Middle Metropolis and on highways, to enhance the automobiles.
“Of us will see our automobiles driving in any respect hours all through varied neighborhoods, from North Central to Eastwick, and from College Metropolis to as far east because the Delaware River,” a Waymo spokesperson stated.
The corporate introduced the Philadelphia testing on X, previously Twitter, Monday.
This metropolis is a Nationwide Treasure. It’s a metropolis of affection, the place eagles fly with a gritty spirit and cheese that spreads and cheese that steaks. Our highway journey continues to Philly subsequent. https://t.co/96XzLSFV8O https://t.co/L4PkJySxO5 pic.twitter.com/G58dFGlSaa
— Waymo (@Waymo) July 7, 2025
Philly will not be the one testing floor this summer time. Waymo can be operating related assessments in New York and elements of northern New Jersey.
The corporate launched its driverless taxis in Phoenix 5 years in the past and has since expanded to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Austin. Miami and Washington, D.C., are subsequent on Waymo’s rollout schedule.
Whereas a “highway journey” will not be a assure of a future full launch of the service, it has been a part of the rollout in Los Angeles and different cities.
Philly’s historical past with robots
If Philly have been to see the launch of Waymo taxis someday sooner or later, they wouldn’t be the primary autonomous automobiles within the metropolis. In January 2024, Perrone Robotics launched a self-driving shuttle pilot within the Navy Yard, additionally with a human driver available. The shuttles drew resistance from some union members who raised security issues and fearful about driver layoffs.
The Waymo announcement additionally drew Philadelphians to recall the destiny of HitchBOT, the hitchhiking robotic, which noticed its cross-country journey come to an finish right here in 2015. A few of them took to X to warn Waymo that its automated automobiles could be in jeopardy.
Do not you bear in mind the final robotic that attempted to scoot round Philly?
Unhealthy issues occur in Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/4jt2YyTXhv
— Wealthy (@WBVRich) July 8, 2025
Boy you guys are in for a experience awakening pic.twitter.com/vhNtuuUPzU
— Noam Chompsky’s Chips (@mtskullcrusher) July 8, 2025
We kill robots, simply fyi.. pic.twitter.com/esRjzGUuE6
— DJ Jaybird (@DJ_jaybird215) July 8, 2025
shut sufficient, welcome again HitchBOT https://t.co/LsGEMhCnn6 pic.twitter.com/pX8GUsLmrx
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) July 7, 2025
Job and security issues
Autonomous automobiles are, in fact, a brand new know-how and one thing that raises security questions. In a 2025 survey by automotive providers supplier AAA, solely 13% of U.S. drivers reported that they’d belief a self-driving car. That’s truly a drop, from 18%, in 2022.
But knowledge exhibits that Waymo and its autonomous automobiles are comparatively secure. A 2022 Swiss Re research discovered that over 25.3 million miles pushed by Waymo automobiles resulted in 9 property harm claims and two bodily harm claims. That compares to about 78 property harm claims and 26 bodily harm claims for the common human driver over an analogous distance.
Nonetheless, pushback to Waymo’s launches stems from issues that stretch past security, as critics fear about job displacement amongst taxi and rideshare drivers as driverless automobiles are launched.
In New York, the place there are greater than 13,000 taxis, Waymo is petitioning to overturn a regulation forbidding autonomous automobiles. Philly solely had 564 taxis as of October 2022, in accordance with The Inquirer, and a 2018 research estimated the town had 25,000 ride-share drivers. That quantity is sort of definitely larger right this moment.