Uber is letting people experience its self-driving cars for the first time starting Wednesday.

The popular ride-hailing service is letting a select few people hail a self-driving car as part of a pilot in Pittsburgh. The cars can drive only in certain locations, including Pittsburgh's downtown and Shadyside neighborhood. Those taking rides through the pilot can ride free for now, but an Uber representative said that may change.

Uber let us get behind the wheel and experience what it's like to monitor a giant robot on wheels, but not everything went according to plan.