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Waymo's self-driving cars are coming to downtown Phoenix

The autonomous car company has already been operating its self-driving vehicles around the East Valley for years.

PHOENIX — Waymo announced Wednesday it will soon introduce its self-driving cars to the downtown Phoenix area.

The autonomous car company has already been operating its white vehicles around the East Valley for years. But now Waymo's service territory will be expanding to include parts of Phoenix. 

The expansion will initially be limited to Waymo employees before allowing the public to hop in one of the self-driving cars. 

"Just as we’ve done before, we'll start with Waymo employees hailing trips with autonomous specialists behind the wheel, with the goal of opening it up to members of the public via our Trusted Tester program soon after," Waymo wrote in a statement.

Waymo additionally announced plans to pick up passengers on the streets of San Francisco. The company has not released dates for when autonomous rides will be available to the public in these new areas.

Waymo's history in Arizona goes back several years. 

The company used the streets of Chandler to test out its autonomous technology and roll out ride-share services. 

But not everyone has been welcoming to the company's self-driving cars. 

Some locals have allegedly pelted rocks at Waymo cars or threatened company employees, according to police reports reviewed by the New York Times.

Last year, a Waymo car went rogue while transporting a passenger through Chandler. The vehicle appeared confused and would make abrupt stops, according to a YouTube video posted by the Waymo rider.

RELATED: Waymo begins full driverless public service in Phoenix

RELATED: Autonomous vehicles won't make roads completely safe, study says

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