Uber customers in the city of Pittsburgh will have now the option to choose a driverless vehicle pickup.
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Levandowski says the company’s self-driving technology, like its ride-sharing app, will make the roads safer and less congested, make the air less polluted and increase access to transportation.
The ride-hailing firm became the first to offer the futuristic technology to the public in the United States, and Fox News went for a spin.
This pilot is a big step forward.
“Real-world testing is critical to the success of this technology”.
The eventual goal is to have no one in the front seat, and an army of Ubers rolling around cities picking up customers who likely would no longer own their own cars, which now sit unused an average of 90% of the time.
According to Business Insider, users who accept the self-driving Ubers must agree to be filmed while in the backseat, so Uber can see how people react to the whole experience.
Once the self-driving Uber ( i.e a Ford Fusion) arrives at your doorstep, you’ll be asked to take a spot in the backseat of the vehicle. Uber is opening up rides only to a specific list of loyal customers.
The ride-alongs, which are provided by Uber, went out with reporters on Tuesday.
Removing the cost of the driver is one way to make rides more affordable. All without a person touching the controls. NuTonomy beat Uber to the punch on a worldwide level last month in Singapore when it began picking up passengers in self-driving taxis.
Self-driving cars have raised safety concerns, especially after a Navy Seal died while operating his Tesla in self-driving mode in June. But, the overall reaction to the beginning of the public self-driving tests is fairly enthusiastic and postive.
Only four vehicles of this nature will be made available to passengers in the region, and they will be assisted by a further passenger initially to take over when the auto can not drive itself.
Self-Driving Ubers have a safety driver in the front seat because they require human intervention in many conditions, including bad weather.
Still, the company said it wouldn’t be phasing out drivers entirely, as there are limits to self-driving software and likely will be greater demand for it than supply.
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The extra gear on Uber’s cars is there to supplement the LIDAR view of the near and far field.
