Argo AI robotaxis ditch human safety drivers in Miami and Austin

Robotaxi start-up Argo AI said Tuesday it has begun operating its autonomous test vehicles without human safety drivers in two U.S. cities — Miami and Austin, Texas — a major milestone for the Ford– and Volkswagen-backed company.

For now, those driverless vehicles won’t be carrying paying customers. But they will be operating in daylight, during business hours, in dense urban neighborhoods, shuttling Argo AI employees who can summon the vehicles via a test app.

CEO Bryan Salesky said that the company has been working to develop self-driving vehicles that can operate safely in cities since its founding in…