San Francisco’s hot tourist attraction: Driverless cars

Passersby stop to photograph a driverless car from Waymo in San Francisco on May 16, 2024. Four seats are available to passengers – you can sit up front, but you’re not allowed to sit in the driver’s seat (if you try, the car will not move). — The New York Times

When David De Clercq travelled to San Francisco last year, he had a few musts on his itinerary: Go to Alcatraz. Try new restaurants. And ride in a self-driving car.

Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles or, colloquially, robotaxis, have been driving the streets of San Francisco in some form since 2009 and have been operating commercially since August. The cars are also shaping up as the city’s latest tourist attraction.