| REUTERS photo |
The launch of Uber’s self-driving pilot program marks the public unveiling of the company’s secretive work in autonomous vehicles and the first time self-driving cars have been so freely available to the U.S. public.
More than two years ago Uber – like most in the car business – identified autonomous driving technology as the springboard for the next stage of growth.
The aggressive San Francisco-based startup has already shaken up the world’s taxi services, earning a valuation of $68 billion. It plans ultimately to replace many of its 1.5 million drivers with autonomous vehicles.
But it is not as if robots are taking over the Steel City. There will be only four self-driving vehicles available to passengers, to start, and two people will sit in the front to take over driving when the car cannot steer itself.
But the company is competing in a crowded field. From Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Baidu Inc (BIDU.O) to Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) and General Motors Co (GM.N), technology companies and automakers are hustling to build autonomous vehicles and develop new business plans for what is expected to be a long-term makeover of personal transportation.
By integrating self-driving cars with its ride-services app, Uber may be the first introduction to autonomous cars that many people will have.