Uber Begins Giving Self Driving Rides In California Without A Permit To Do So

Uber is reportedly planning to bring to San Francisco an autonomous ride-sharing program similar to its pilot program launched in Pittsburgh earlier this year where customers using Uber’s app can be picked up by an “autonomous vehicle” with a company engineer behind the wheel. The company wrote in a press release: Starting today, riders who request an uberX in San Francisco will be matched with a Self-Driving Uber if one is available. Expanding our self-driving pilot allows us to continue to improve our technology through real-world operations. With its challenging roads and often varied weather, Pittsburgh provided a wide array of experiences. San Francisco comes with its own nuances including more bikes on the road, high traffic density and narrow lanes. The problem is that Uber doesn’t have a permit to operate autonomous vehicles in California and it justifies its right to operate anyway through some sketchy semantics.
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TomM - 12/14/2016 1:26:55 PM

+2 Boost

As far as California would be concerned - these are not self-driving cars. THey would have a legal driver behind the wheel - and the driver would be responsible for legal liability. However = these engineers would have to follow regular driving laws - which include maintaining control of the vehicle and keeping their hands on the wheel. And if they did not do so - they could be ticketed. So - in fact - these are cars with drivers supplied by the company - not individuals giving time - IE Taxi Drivers - and if required they would need a Taxi driver license and insurance.

dumpsty - 12/14/2016 1:28:23 PM

+3 Boost

In Cali, it seems like you need a "permit" to pee your pants. There's a govt fee for everything.

Ok. So what's the "permit" for? ...official registration?