Uber's own autonomous vehicle development program ended in disaster back in 2018, when a prototype self-driving car struck and killed a pedestrian. Yet the appeal of driverless cars remains too strong for a company that's chief expense is paying drivers. So the ride-sharing giant is teaming up with General Motors' robotaxi company, Cruise—itself no stranger to controversial autonomous vehicle (AV) incidents—to get self-driving cars on its platform.
The companies plan to launch the "strategic partnership" next year, according to a release. Uber customers in participating markets will be given the option of having their ride request fulfilled by a Cruise robotaxi. The release did not contain details about what markets the partnership will apply to, what the pricing structure will be or whether this will wholly replace Cruise's own ride-sharing operations.
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