Baltimore is getting a new ride.

Waymo, the Silicon Valley-based startup that’s made its self-driving taxis a staple in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, announced Wednesday that it is expanding to more than a dozen U.S. metro areas, including Charm City.

Waymo vehicles will first hit Baltimore’s streets later this week, but won’t operate autonomously or be available to the public quite yet. The company is using the same phased approach that it’s relied on in other cities, said spokesperson Ethan Teicher, which starts with passenger-free rides so the cars can collect data and map the city.

Initially, all vehicles will have a driver. The second phase will put drivers behind the wheel while vehicles operate partially autonomously. Eventually — Teicher said it’s too early to say when — Baltimoreans will be able to hop into a taxi operated entirely on its own.

“Maryland has a long, proud tradition of embracing innovation and driving discovery,” Gov. Wes Moore said in Waymo’s emailed news release. “This new partnership with Waymo marks the next chapter in that story — and it’s going to help spur growth, make our roads safer, and get more Marylanders from where they live to where opportunity lies.”

Much like Uber, Lyft or Empower, residents can hail a ride through Waymo’s proprietary mobile app. To start, a small fleet of vehicles will be available for rides around downtown Baltimore, Teicher said, and the operation will expand over time.

While many see self-driving cars as the wave of the future, others are skeptical or even angered by the idea. Some worry about accountability in crashes or have general safety concerns, despite data suggesting autonomous vehicles are safer than those driven by people.

A study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention in October showed that Waymo vehicles had significantly lower rates of traffic crashes that cause airbag deployment or bodily injury than local averages, including those involving cyclists and pedestrians.

Waymo vehicles are tricked out with technology that constantly monitors and senses their surroundings. Among the benefits: Cameras can’t drink and drive; radar doesn’t check texts or change songs on the freeway; lidar doesn’t know that someone is late for work.

But when tech promises a brighter, better future, people pay attention when it’s not perfect.

A Waymo vehicle hit a dog last weekend in San Francisco. They’ve illegally passed school buses in Austin, Texas. In Los Angeles, a video that went viral caught one driving through an apparent police standoff.

Waymo vehicles have driven more than 100 million miles across the country for hundreds of thousands of weekly trips, all fully autonomously, Teicher said, and the company is proud of its safety record.

But can they adjust to local customs? How will Waymo vehicles handle cars that block intersections or run red lights? How will they react when an Acura with an expired Virginia license plate speeds past them on Interstate 83? When it snows, will they forget how to drive, like most Marylanders?

Baltimore also will be unique in that Maryland currently does not have a regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles. The states with the five cities where Waymo currently serves riders — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix and Atlanta — all do.

Lawmakers proposed a framework in Annapolis earlier this year, but the bill never made it out of committee. Teicher said the company plans to work with lawmakers again this year.