Cars operated by remote drivers will debut on the streets of downtown Sacramento this week — and the technology that powers them could one day serve as a safety back-up for autonomous vehicles.

If you hop in a car equipped with technology from Phantom Auto, among the first things you’ll hear is: “Welcome everyone, my name is Ben. … I’ll be driving you today through Sacramento.” But Ben is not inside the car. Instead, he’s controlling it from the company’s facility 100 miles away…

Sacramento is the only city currently to have a contract with Phantom Auto for street-testing. A second route near Sac State will also debut this week.
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