Uber’s Self-Driving Cars Are Now Available in San Francisco

By Jack Bing - 15 Dec '16 13:09PM

Uber first launched their self-driving cars in September in the town of Pittsburgh. Starting today, San Francisco will be able to experience these self-driving cars first-hand.

It all started with an announcement last Wednesday saying a program the same as the one in Pittsburgh will start immediately in this City by the Bay. Anyone in this startup's hometown will now be able to hail a self-driving Volvo XC90 from Uber and request a ride within San Francisco's city limits.

New Technology. First-time passengers will find themselves with an iPad-based display in the backseat, which replaces the mobile app. The display guides the passenger through ensuring that their seatbelt is well-fastened, verifying their destination, and setting off on the actual ride.

Human Monitoring. These cars won't operate entirely without a driver just yet. Similar to when it started in Pittsburgh, two of Uber's employees will be situated in the front seats to monitor the self-driving car's performance and to take over when necessary.

Although Uber's self-driving technology is able to drive within straight lines and perceive traffic lights flawlessly, it still needs human intervention when executing lane changes. Leaving a curb and merging into actual traffic, for example, requires one of the two Uber employees on board to handle.

From Pittsburgh to San Francisco. Expanding to San Francisco provides the opportunity for Uber to test out their self-driving cars in more real-world scenarios. Uber had its share of road challenges in Pittsburgh.

San Francisco, on the other hand, offers a whole new challenge, with more bike, steep hills, and narrow lanes. This allows Uber to continue improving their technology further and better.

What used to be just something we see in science fiction movies is now a reality. Bringing these self-driving cars to San Francisco and eventually to other places across the US will definitely help in putting people's minds at ease about this technology being very much possible.