Waymo says it wants to bring driverless cars to NYC, but state law requires a trained specialist behind the wheel.

Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet, is returning to New York City. But it won’t be offering rides to the paying public yet, as it currently does in four other cities. The company announced Wednesday that it has applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation for its vehicles to operate autonomously with a “trained specialist” behind the wheel in Manhattan.

Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo said on Wednesday its vehicles will be back in New York City next month for autonomous testing, as it continues to scale operations in the U.S.

Amazon is gearing up to make as 10,000 robotaxis annually at a sprawling plant near Silicon Valley as it prepares to challenge self-driving cab leader Waymo.

Zoox, Amazon's autonomous vehicle unit, has opened its first robotaxi production facility in California, capable of assembling over 10,000 vehicles annually. The move supports plans for public operations in Las Vegas and San Francisco,