Waymo unveils self-driving taxi service in Arizona for paying customers

Early rider Alex Hoffman seen inside a Waymo self-driving vehicle, during a demonstration in Chandler, Arizona, November 29, 2018. Picture taken November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Caitlin O’Hara

CHANDLER, Arizona: Alphabet's Waymo on Dec 5 launched a significant development in its costly, decade-long quest for autonomous transportation: self-driving taxis that actually generate fares. 

With little fanfare, the company has begun charging passengers to use its driverless vehicles in a roughly 100-mile (160 km) zone in four Phoenix suburbs – Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert – where it has been testing its technology since 2016.