Robotaxis are spreading across the U.S.

Hailing a taxi in some parts of America comes with a growing chance that when the car arrives, no one will be behind the wheel.

Why it matters: Once the stuff of science fiction, robotaxis are now regularly plying the streets of Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco, and will be coming soon to at least a dozen more cities.

The big picture: A flurry of expansion announcements, mostly from Waymo, the industry's 800-pound gorilla, would lead you to believe robotaxis are everywhere. • In L.A., Phoenix and San Francisco, that might be true, but elsewhere in the U.S., robotaxis are still pretty much a novelty. • Uber customers in Atlanta or Austin can set their preferences for a robotaxi, for example, but the number of cars is limited, meaning they'll have a longer wait.