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Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, is bringing a fleet of testing vehicles to Philadelphia this year.
"This city is a National Treasure," Waymo wrote on X. "It's a city of love, where eagles fly with a gritty spirit and cheese that spreads and cheese that steaks. Our road trip continues to Philly next."
Starting Monday, Waymo began a road trip to Philadelphia as part of a cross-country tour visiting 10 cities in 2025, including New York City, Boston and Las Vegas, a spokesperson for the company said.
A Waymo spokesperson said that the company will have a fleet of vehicles with trained autonomous specialists operating the cars and driving through the "most complex parts of the city," including downtown and on freeways. The spokesperson said the drivers will be in neighborhoods like North Central in North Philly, Eastwick in Southwest Philly and University City in West Philadelphia.
Waymo Self Driving Car
Front view of Waymo self driving car in San Francisco, California, August 20, 2024. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) Smith Collection/Gado
The testing fleet of vehicles will be closed to the public. Waymo uses the testing period to allow the Waymo Driver to learn the lay of the land. Once the Waymo Driver learns the area, it can begin driving autonomously, according to the company.
"Like other visitors to Philadelphia, we can't wait to take in the sights, immerse ourselves in the city's distinct driving culture, and meet with locals," a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement. "We're also committed to being good neighbors while we're in town — we collaborate closely with the communities and policymakers across all the cities where we drive."
A spokesperson said Waymo currently provides more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid trips each week in cities like San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta.
Tom Ignudo
Tom Ignudo is a digital content producer at CBS Philadelphia. Before he joined CBS Philadelphia in 2021, Tom covered high school and college sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He covers breaking news, sports and more.