Uber shifted into a new gear Tuesday in Austin, Texas, when its ride-hailing service began dispatching self-driving cars to pick up passengers.

The autonomous option is being provided through a partnership that brings together Uber and robotaxi pioneer Waymo, which already sells self-driving vehicle rides through its own app in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco.

Waymo is trying to expand into more cities by teaming up with Uber — an alliance announced in September.

The partnership begins in Austin and will, later this year, expand to offer robotaxi rides in Atlanta. Waymo’s robotaxis hit the streets of Austin ahead of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s goal of launching a fleet of electric self-driving cars later this year. — Associated Press