New Yorkers are about to meet a new kind of traffic jam companion: the robotaxi . Beginning in September, Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company, will put its self-driving cars on the streets of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.

Before you panic about an empty driver’s seat whizzing down Flatbush, rest assured: State law requires a trained specialist behind the wheel at all times. So yes, there will still be a human gripping the steering wheel while the car quietly does most of the thinking.

The New York City Department of Transportation issued Waymo its first-ever permit to begin testing, calling it a cautious but important step into the future. For now, just eight vehicles will roll out, but if all goes well, that number could grow. The program runs through late

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