Ford has announced that Austin, Texas is the third launch market for its self-driving vehicles, joining Miami-Dade County and Washington, D.C.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Austin has been the fastest growing metro region in America in each of the last eight years. Ford notes that the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization predicts that by 2040, vehicle use in the Austin region could double, while highway capacity will only grow 15 percent.

“Simply put, Austin has to look towards diverse and innovative ways to move people around,” Ford says.

In collaboration with Argo AI, Ford says that it is expanding its testing operations in Austin, which will include collaborating with city and state officials and community partners to make sure that Ford and Argo AI’s plans are being integrated properly into the wider transportation system.

Ford notes that the state of Texas has been very open to the reality of self-driving vehicles, as it has passed a bill governing autonomous technology in the state, and also has created a Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Task Force to further study self-driving vehicles. Austin was the first city in the world to host a driverless vehicle on public streets, and the city also formed a Smart Mobility Office that’s focused on quickly piloting new technology.

“This commitment is part of what makes Austin such a great place to launch a self-driving vehicle business, but it’s just the start,” Ford says.

“We believe that if you want to successfully launch a self-driving service that improves people’s lives, you can’t just drop into a city and start rolling cars out onto the streets. You need to develop a comprehensive understanding of what people and local businesses would find useful — and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing over the next few years.”

Ford says that it will conduct business pilots to see how it can best deploy its vehicles as it begins mapping roads and testing its self-driving system in Austin. Ford believes that self-driving vehicles could potentially perform a variety of services across the city, as Austin is home to the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a “vibrant, growing downtown.” Ford says that it wants to engage businesses and community groups about how this technology could be used to enhance the day-to-day lives of people in the city.

“As Austin works towards expanding transportation options for residents, our ultimate goal is to build self-driving services in a way that complements a rich ecosystem of options,” Ford says.