“Since sharing that we were ready to take the next step and begin testing fully autonomous operations in the city, we’ve begun fully autonomous rides with our San Francisco employees.”
No one in the driver’s seat, in San Francisco, for the first time. The riders are Waymo employees, not the public. Phoenix went from early testers in 2017 to public driverless rides in 2020, on wide suburban roads. A city with hills, fog and double parking is the real exam, and Waymo is grading it with its own staff.