Just because something is semantically similar doesn't mean it is what people expect when talking about an object. I'm implying with that comparison that most peoples definitions of a self driving car is not a car that runs in such a limited set of circumstances, just like most peoples definition of a cooking robot isn't a microwave no matter if you start pointing out sensors and movement to ensure better cooking. It may be a no true scotsman fallacy but for me (and I'm assuming a chunk of the people in this thread who are still talking about how long into the future until self driving cars are ready, in the comment section of an article about exactly the "self driving cars" you're talking about no less) a self driving car that I can't buy or hire (at any cost) as a replacement for my current car and have it self drive my commute to work or an address on the other side of the country is not a self driving car.

That opinion doesn't diminish the progress that has already been made or the accomplishments of the various engineering teams involved. It's just saying that when people talk about self driving cars they're talking about it as a drop in replacement to the general population of car owners' cars not as a curated location/digital track limited taxi service.