Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo took a big step forward last fall when it began ferrying riders around the Phoenix area in robotaxis without human safety drivers. Humans have been behind the wheel for almost all of the 20 million miles of testing the company says it has completed on public roads.

PHOENIX — Google spinoff Waymo is trying to educate emergency responders on how to deal with its autonomous vehicles.

Volkswagen AG is open to sharing future autonomous-vehicle systems with other manufacturers as it races to catch up with the likes of Waymo LLC in cost-intensive technologies that could transform the way people and goods move, according to an executive at the German automaker.

True driverless cars have arrived from Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet Inc., but the company’s chief executive officer says robot ride hailing may not be the first form of automotive autonomy to take off commercially.

Google autonomous vehicle spinoff Waymo says it will start testing on public roads in Florida to better experience heavy rain.

California has granted Waymo permission to carry passengers in the autonomous vehicles it is testing on the state’s roads, paving the way for the self-driving car company to roll out a taxi service in San Jose.

Waymo agreed to explore driverless services with Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., pairing a leader in self-driving technology with the world’s largest automotive alliance.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is partnering with Silicon Valley startup Aurora Innovation Inc. to develop and deploy a fleet of self-driving commercial vehicles in a bid to catch up with other automakers that have invested heavily in the technology.

Google’s self-driving vehicle division is bringing autonomous trucks to the Phoenix area. Waymo announced May 29 that its self-driving tractor-trailers will start driving on freeways this week and will expand to more routes over time.

The first major self-driving taxi service needed six months to reach 1,000 customers, another sign that growth may be slow as companies try to build businesses around autonomous vehicles.