An Alphabet subsidiary Waymo has launched a robotic taxi service in San Francisco in test mode. 

Since December 2018, driverless Google cars have only been carrying passengers in a limited area in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona.

Chinese startup AutoX, funded by Alibaba, announced at the end of January that it would launch a similar robotic taxi service.

Some experts predict that the COIVD-19 pandemic will speed up the adoption of self-driving vehicles. 

Self-driving cars and trucks can minimize the risk of spreading the disease by eliminating contact with the driver.