(Reuters) -Alphabet's robotaxi unit Waymo has received its first permit to begin testing its autonomous vehicles in New York City with a trained specialist behind the wheel, helping the company advance its self-driving ambitions.

Waymo can now begin testing a limited number of its self-driving cars in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said on Friday.

Until now, Waymo has been driving manually since its return to New York City in July. The company had brought its cars to Manhattan in 2021 for manual driving, data collection and testing.

New York State law requires that a test vehicle operator be present at all times and be ready to assume control of the vehicle while the self-driving technology is in operation.

Waymo has ramped up efforts to scale operations in the U.S., as the robotaxi race heats up. Tesla also deployed a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas in June, with goals to expand to half of U.S. population by the end of 2025.

With a fleet of about 1,500 vehicles, Waymo has completed over 10 million rides in five major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin.

(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)