Pittsburgh’s roads have proved challenging for previous autonomous vehicle companies. However, Waymo’s vast experience could mean smoother going this time around.

Waymo — the autonomous ride hailing company — plans to start testing their vehicles WITH drivers at the wheel in Pittsburgh’s Downtown core starting this week.

Waymo, the autonomous vehicle technology company, announced Wednesday that it will be expanding into the Pittsburgh region. The ride-hailing service is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. Waymo will also expand into three other cities, including St. Louis, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Robotaxis are coming to Pittsburgh. The Waymo autonomous ride-hailing service says it's starting manual test-drives in downtown Pittsburgh.

Waymo will start manually driving in Pittsburgh’s Downtown core with a fleet of its 5th and 6th generation Waymo Driver. Then, the company will validate its technology over several months, working toward a public launch. The company says it’s excited to come to Pittsburgh, in part because of its special place in autonomous vehicle history.

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start ...

Hundreds of smart cameras on mobile enforcement cars or mounted on poles in Pittsburgh are leading a tech-aided war on illegal parking. The Pittsburgh Parking Authority says it's only trying to better enforce parking laws, but all that surveillance is making some people uneasy.