Aug 22 (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.