World's First Self-Driving Taxis Debut in Singapore
An autonomous vehicle is driven during its test drive in Singapore on Aug. 24.
Photographer: Yong Teck Lim/AP PhotoThis article is for subscribers only.
Singapore (AP) -- The world's first self-driving taxis are picking up passengers in Singapore.
Select members of the public began hailing free rides Thursday through their smartphones in taxis operated by nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup. While multiple companies, including Google and Volvo, have been testing self-driving cars on public roads for several years, nuTonomy says it is the first to offer rides to the public. It beat ride-hailing service Uber, which plans to offer rides in autonomous cars in Pittsburgh, by a few weeks.