I rode in a test vehicle from the autonomous-vehicle startup Zoox in San Francisco last week.

While the ride wasn't perfect, the vehicle performed as well as the average human driver.

And the ride was more comfortable than the Uber and Lyft I took to and from the airport during my trip to San Francisco.

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The autonomous-vehicle startup Zoox, which was founded in 2014, decided to focus on one of the hardest testing environments first. Rather than starting in a quiet suburb, the company chose to begin testing its technology in San Francisco.

While warm weather and the absence of snow make it easier for self-driving vehicles to operate; dense, urban environments are more difficult to navigate than slower-paced subdivisions that normally boast wide streets that are typically clear of most obstructions.

I took a ride in one of Zoox's test vehicles earlier this week as it drove through one of the company's "challenge" routes. The route featured steep roads, narrow streets with parked cars on either side, and an unprotected left turn at a six-way intersection.

While the ride wasn't perfect, the vehicle performed as well as the average human driver, and the ride was more comfortable than the Uber and Lyft I took to and from the airport during my trip to San Francisco.

Here's what it was like.