The Rise of Robo-Taxis: Autonomous Vehicles Gain Ground in U.S. Cities

By Fortune.org | Tech & Mobility Desk

After years of hype, investment, and regulatory hurdles, self-driving taxis—once the stuff of sci-fi—are now quietly operating on real streets in multiple American cities. With no human drivers onboard, robo-taxis from companies like Waymo and Cruise are beginning to reshape the economics and logistics of urban transportation. While most deployments remain limited in scale, the pace of expansion is accelerating as regulators, investors, and riders grow more comfortable with the technology.

“Autonomous ride-hailing is no longer a prototype—it’s a pilot program scaling toward permanence.”

Cruise, a General Motors subsidiary, has launched fully driverless rides in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas. Its vehicles operate without human intervention in select zones, gradually increasing operating hours and complexity. Waymo, owned by Alphabet, remains the industry’s most cautious but advanced player. It currently offers commercial, 24/7 driverless service throughout most of San Francisco and Phoenix, with Los Angeles and parts of the South Bay—including Mountain View and San Jose—now in active testing or employee preview phases. Waymo also recently received regulatory approval to expand service in Los Angeles, a major milestone in one of the country’s most car-centric regions.

The competition isn’t limited to Cruise and Waymo. Amazon-owned Zoox is quietly testing its custom-built, bi-directional autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas and Foster City, California. Tesla continues to develop its Full Self-Driving software, though it remains far from achieving regulatory approval for fully autonomous, unsupervised operation. Other global players like Baidu, AutoX, and Pony.ai are making strides in Asia, with ambitions to enter Western markets when legal frameworks allow.

“Cities that embrace autonomy early may gain long-term infrastructure and economic advantages over those that wait.”

The long-term financial implications are enormous. Removing the driver from commercial transport dramatically lowers cost per mile, potentially undercutting rideshare giants like Uber and Lyft while unlocking new forms of car-free living. For cities, autonomous vehicles could reduce traffic accidents, improve mobility for the elderly and disabled, and reshape land use by reducing parking demand. But the path forward isn't without obstacles: labor disputes, unresolved liability laws, and growing public scrutiny around safety remain unresolved.

Technical setbacks have also drawn headlines. In San Francisco, both Cruise and Waymo vehicles have caused brief traffic disruptions, and local officials have pushed back on expansion until systems prove more reliable. Still, the industry continues to build momentum. Austin, Texas, for example, welcomed Cruise's robo-taxis in 2024, joining a growing list of early-adopter cities that double as test beds for this emerging infrastructure.

What’s clear is that autonomy is no longer an abstract idea. Whether driven by investor expectations, urban growth demands, or technological inevitability, robo-taxis are inching toward mainstream reality. The companies that can deploy at scale—while maintaining safety and regulatory trust—will likely define the next era of transportation and mobility capitalism.

Are Credit Scores Obsolete? The Rise of Alt-Finance Profiling in 2025

By Dexter Malloy, Miami, Florida

Your FICO score used to define your creditworthiness. Now? It might just be another legacy metric headed for the digital graveyard. In 2025, fintech lenders are bypassing traditional credit in favor of real-time behavior and digital profiles.

“It’s not about what you’ve borrowed—it’s about how you behave online.”

From your Uber rating to your rent payment history, even your tipping habits are being fed into alt-finance scoring systems. These AI-powered models claim to paint a fuller, fairer picture—but they also raise alarms. The price of inclusion may be total transparency.

Advocates say it's inclusive—finally giving credit access to millions with thin or no credit files. But critics argue the model rewards surveillance and punishes people who live off-grid or move between income streams. Lifestyle becomes a metric. Privacy becomes risk.

Lawmakers and regulators are struggling to keep pace. Few rules exist to govern this shadow scoring system, and even fewer to help consumers challenge or audit their new, invisible ratings.

“The age of the credit score is ending. Something smarter—and scarier—is replacing it.”

This is more than a fintech shift. It’s the rewriting of financial identity—and most consumers won’t realize it until the algorithm has already decided their future.