TL;DR
For the first time in an American city, by one report's count, people hailing a car with nobody behind the wheel can pick between two companies. Tesla switched on its robotaxi service in San Antonio on Nov. 9, joining Waymo, which has carried riders there since February. Tesla's map covers about 272 to 275 square miles, roughly four and a half times Waymo's 60, according to secondary reports of the launch. Rivals sharing the same streets is what pushes companies to compete on coverage and price, the things that turn a driverless ride from a novelty into an everyday option. It comes a day after Tesla said it will trade Cybertruck factory space for more robotaxis (our story). To see our odds on when driverless rides become ordinary across America's big cities, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads there, subscribe.
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