In 1939, Americans were first exposed to the idea of self-driving cars. At the World’s Fair in New York, an exhibit showed off a vehicle propelled by electromagnetic fields created by circuits in the road.

Fast-forward to 2015: Google’s self-driving car project partnered with the city of Austin to embark upon the next frontier of self-driving innovation. Our shared partnership was geared around a simple notion — truly self-driving technology will improve our daily lives and make our roads safer, reduce congestion and increase mobility. Since Austinites are famously comfortable with doing things differently, Austin was an ideal place for this vision to come to life.

In October 2015, Austin became the hometown of a historic milestone for self-driving cars. Steve Mahan, who is legally blind, became the first person in the world to complete a trip in a truly self-driving car on public roads.

For Steve, this ride was the first time he could be alone in a car in 12 years. His route around Austin reflected the way millions of people could use a self-driving car in everyday life: driving from a doctor’s office, to a park and through a typical neighborhood.

Steve is no stranger to self-driving cars. He rode in Google’s self-driving Prius vehicle back in 2012, and then again in 2013. But for Steve’s past rides, and for every "self-driving" trip ever taken on public streets, there’s always been a crutch to lean on — a police escort or closed course or the most significant backup of all: a test driver.

This time was different. Steve traveled through the streets of Northeast Austin in a car with no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver.

To prepare for this trip, the self-driving cars drove the streets of Austin for thousands of hours and added to millions of miles of real-world driving experience. Billions of miles of testing in simulation provided even more confidence and refinement. These vehicles were prepared to handle all kinds of obstacles and situations, from emergency vehicles to complicated four-way stops to an unexpected squirrel darting into the road. By the time Steve rode in the car for his solo journey, he could be confident that the ride would be extremely safe.

Austin can be proud of the role it’s playing to advance this groundbreaking and lifesaving technology. The self-driving car project, which recently became an independent company called Waymo, chose Austin for its commitment to innovation and leadership in transportation. Austin also offers a diverse driving environment, where Waymo’s self-driving cars can learn from all kinds of interesting road features, including horizontal traffic signals and roundabouts.

Along the way, we’ve had a little fun, too. Austin served as the inspiration for the "Paint the Town" campaign, where Austinites created various designs that have been featured on the side of Waymo’s prototype vehicles.

Waymo’s purpose in Austin remains unchanged: to improve the lives and mobility of people like Steve, and to make it safe for millions of people to get from point A to point B. Steve’s ride in Austin represented just a small fraction of what truly self-driving cars can accomplish.

Steve’s ride is a glimpse of the future for our truly self-driving technology: streets without drunk, tired or distracted drivers; safer roads free of the 1.25 million road deaths each year caused by human error; new mobility options for people like Steve, who are not able to drive themselves; and less stressful commutes or trips across town.

Stories like this are why Austin’s creative, supportive community truly matters — it makes the city a leader in promoting solutions that make a tangible difference. By encouraging innovative projects in important areas, such as infrastructure, Austinites are helping to make people across the country safer and more mobile.

We’ve come a long way since the imaginative exhibit at the 1939 World’s Fair.