ORLANDO, Fla. — There’s a new way to get around Orlando’s roadways, but it doesn’t require a driver.

Waymo, the driverless ride-hailing service, welcomed its first public riders in Orlando on Tuesday.

What You Need To Know

Waymo is now offering its first public rides in Orlando

The driverless ride-hailing service covers 60 square miles

Currently, the Waymo vehicles won’t drive on I-4 or other freeways

Those who want to take a ride must download the Waymo app and join the waitlist

Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicle technology in Orlando for more than six months, conducting detailed mapping of the area.

Now the company is ready to service riders across 60 square miles, from just north of downtown Orlando nearly all the way to Walt Disney World.

This map shows Waymo’s service area in the Orlando area. (Courtesy of Waymo)

The only hitch is the vehicles do not operate on freeways, and that means no Interstate 4 and no access to the airport, at least for now.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer was one of the first to take a ride Tuesday morning.

“Very smooth, I felt extremely safe, obeyed all the traffic laws, felt more comfortable than the people I ride with,” Dyer said.

Of course, there are concerns about crashes, and with 3,000 vehicles across 10 cities, there have been incidents involving Waymo.

But a company spokesperson said its vehicles are safer than those with human drivers, even in Orlando’s ever-changing weather, because they are never tired, impaired or distracted.

“We have a suite of sensors — from cameras, lidars, radars and audio sensors — to give a lot of detailed information about the world around it that we feel is better than a human driver,” Waymo spokesperson Mark Lewis said.

Waymo has a couple dozen of its outfitted Jaguar I-PACE vehicles ready to roll through Orlando’s surface streets.

Those who’ve already downloaded the app will be invited to take the first local rides, and Waymo will roll it out to more who join the waitlist, eventually opening the service to everyone later this year.

How Waymo works