Waymo launches self-driving taxi service, but caveats abound

The future is here: Waymo One, a self-driving taxi service by Alphabet’s self-driving company Waymo, has officially launched. 

Unfortunately, to paraphrase sci-fi prophet William Gibson, this future is very unevenly distributed. The service will first be available to “early riders” — people who’ve already used Waymo technology — and only in Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert, which are all cities near Phoenix, Arizona. 

And the cars will actually have a human in the driver’s seat — Waymo-trained drivers who will supervise the cars, at least at first. 

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