Uber seems to have finally set up its testing program for self-driving cars in Arizona after the company was kicked out of California.
The news comes two months after the ridesharing company was forced to pull out of the Golden State due to a disagreement with its Department of Motor Vehicles.
How Uber Found Its Way To Arizona From California
In mid-December 2016, Uber started deploying self-driving cars in the streets of San Francisco in the form of modified Volvo XC90 vehicles. While the cars utilized driverless technology, they were still manned by a pair of technicians, one of which is a safety driver who can take back control of the vehicle when needed.
However, the move did not sit well with the Department of Motor Vehicles of California, with the regulator ordering Uber to stop testing its self-driving cars in the state as the company was said to have not secured the necessary permits. Uber initially defied the order, but was eventually forced to pull out its self-driving vehicles in San Francisco as the Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the registration of the modified Volvo XC90 SUVs.
Uber then revealed that it will be moving its self-driving program from California to Arizona. The ridesharing company is now set to resume its testing program in the Grand Canyon State.
Uber Launches Self-Driving Cars In Arizona
Uber, through a tweet, revealed that its self-driving cars are now hitting the road in Arizona, ready to pick up passengers. According to a local report, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who joined Uber's disagreement with California by inviting the ridesharing company to bring its self-driving program to his state, was one of the first passengers of Uber's self-driving Volvo XC90s in the state.
Uber's self-driving cars will be available in the city of Tempe, with passengers requesting for UberX rides possibly being matched with the modified Volvo XC90 SUVs according to availability. Pricing will remain the same as a regular UberX ride, with the self-driving vehicles capable of accepting up to three passengers at a time as the two front seats will be occupied by Uber technicians.
With its self-driving program now testing in Arizona, Uber again has two such programs in place, with Tempe joining the city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania as hosts.
Uber Continues To Face Hurdles
The expansion of Uber's self-driving program into Arizona is another step toward the company's goal of conducting most of the rides that passengers request through self-driving vehicles. However, there are many hurdles to the company's plan, with California proving to be one of them.
Uber is also facing criticism outside its main ridesharing business, with the most recent issue enveloping the company being the allegations by a former Uber engineer that the Uber workplace is sexist. According to a lengthy blog post by Susan Fowler, during her one-year stint in the company, she experienced several sexist incidents.
Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, wrote in an internal memo to employees that he was tapping Eric Holder, the former U.S. Attorney General, to conduct an independent review into Fowler's allegations.
