Uber Will Still Continue Its Operation To Run Self-Driving Cars in San Francisco Roads;Is Uber Really Challenging The Law?
On Wednesday, California's Department of Motor Vehicles addressed the ride-hailing company, Uber, that it was breaking the law and is required to stop its operation until they get a permit. But Uber responded that it will continue its operation for customers in San Francisco.
Uber introduced its self-driving-car pilot on Wednesday in San Francisco with several Volvo SUV's equipped with sensors allowing it to steer, brake and accelerate. But California's Department of Justice sent a letter to the company stating that Uber should get a special permit if it wants to continue its operation. The letter said, "the attorney general will seek injunctive and other appropriate relief."
A spokeswoman for California transport regulators said that the state of California would take action by next week if Uber will not coordinate or comply. But there was no deadline stated in the letter.
Uber is well known today by pairing passengers with drivers through a phone app. It's been over six years, and now, it has grown into a multinational company that operates over more than 400 cities in 72 countries.
According to Anthony Levandowski, head of Uber's self-driving-car program, he said that Uber will continue its operations since they have included backup drivers on the Volvos monitoring the wheels. And explained that the cars are not "autonomous vehicles" under the state's definition.
Uber also added that the reason behind why it's not getting the permit is because the law certainly doesn't apply to its self-driving cars. The company said that its self-driving car doesn't yet have the ability to drive on its own without any human monitoring behind the wheel.
San Francisco Mayor, Ed Lee, said in a statement that "The Mayor expects Uber to do what is required by law and obtain a permit from the DMV, just like every other company testing autonomous vehicles in San Francisco. This is not just a matter of following the law, it's a matter of public safety."
