Uber Self-Driving Cars Start Picking Up Passengers This Month

Uber teamed up with Volvo to bring self-driving cars to Pittsburgh. Later this month, users of the app will be able to get a self-driving Volvo XC90 SUV, which is a huge innovation in modern transport. The plan was first developed two years ago and is now finally launching, making Uber the first company to bring self-driving car-sharing service to market.

At first, the car will be supervised by a human sitting in the driver’s seat. Each car will have a tablet in the back that will explain customers all about this kind of transportation. Also, the car will have dozens of sensors with cameras, lasers, radar and GPS receivers.

Uber is going to launch the Volvo XC90 SUV driverless car in the streets of Pittsburgh in late August.

The goal for Uber is not to start manufacturing its own cars but to strike good deals with manufacturers, with Volvo being just the first one. In July, they bought Otto, a driverless truck startup in order to incorporate their technologies for Uber’s type of transport.

In order to get a ride with this driverless car, all you have to do is order one from Uber app, the same way you usually do.

If you’re a customer and Uber app user in Pittsburgh, the way it will work is pretty much the same as it used to. Using the app, you request a car and you’ll be paired with a random driverless car. As for the price, at first, the ride will be free, for promotional purposes. The plan for the future is for the prices to drop drastically, for different kinds of trips, so it would become even cheaper to get a driverless car than a private car. Test drives started in Pittsburgh in May.

Uber tested the cars in Pittsburgh in May this year, after two years of developing the idea.