A year and a half after its autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans started picking up test riders in Arizona, Waymo LLC is today making the vehicles available through a ride-hailing service.

Waymo One won’t compete with Uber Technologies Inc. anytime soon. Initially, the service will be open to only a few hundred of the users who participated in Waymo’s road tests. But the launch represents a major milestone for autonomous driving as a whole and the Alphabet Inc. subsidiary in particular, which can now boast of operating the world’s first commercial self-driving taxi service.

Waymo One is available in a few suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. The list includes the city of Chandler, which has served as the main hub of the Alphabet Inc. subsidiary’s vehicle tests, along with neighboring Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert.

Users can summon a taxi via an Uber-like mobile app. After they select the desired pickup and drop-off points, a Waymo vehicle will travel either directly to their location or to a more accessible nearby spot marked by a “W” in the in-app map.

Once inside the taxi, riders will find themselves facing one of the two touch screens attached to the front seats. The display shows a three-dimensional visualization of the travel route framed by a few buttons, including a shortcut for calling Waymo’s support team. Overhead, a panel affixed to the ceiling provides access to a few more controls including a prominent “Start Ride” button.

“Our early riders have shown us that the first time people take a self-driving ride, they have questions. That’s why we’ve put support literally front and center in our cars,” Waymo wrote in today’s announcement. “With the tap of a button on our in-car console and screens, or through the Waymo app, riders can connect instantly to a rider support agent to ask questions like, ‘What if I want to change my destination during the trip?’”

Waymo is also looking to assuage any potential safety concerns. Even though the group has been testing some of its autonomous vans on public roads without a safety driver, the vehicles powering Waymo One Fleet will have a human behind the wheel just in case.

As for pricing, fares are reportedly comparable to what Uber and  Lyft Technologies Inc. charge. But rates may change as Waymo works to scale the service beyond a localized operation into a full-fledged transportation business. Last month, sources told Bloomberg that the Alphabet subsidiary is planning to bring its self-driving taxis to Silicon Valley in the next stage of the expansion.

Photo: Waymo