Self-Driving Ubers Have Officially Landed in San Francisco

Self-driving Uber cars are now available to customers in San Francisco.

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Complex Original

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The future is here: at least for Uber and at least in San Francisco. The tech-centric city is seeing the first self-driving Uber cars on Wednesday, in a move that hopefully does not signal the coming of the robot apocalypse. Don't worry: there will still be a driver behind the wheel, it's just that they are now mostly there to supervise the car, rather than actually drive it.

Mercury News reports that as of Wednesday, Uber customers in San Francisco will have the option to request a self-driving Uber. While at first brush this might sound like something that the tech acolytes of the Bay Area would be excited about, the additional service isn't being lauded by everyone. 

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) wants Uber to follow suit and obtain a permit for their self-driving pilot fleet of vehicles, but Uber isn't having it, according to Tech Crunch.

Uber told Tech Crunch that they would not be seeking a permit from the DMV, despite a DMV statement that reads: "We have a permitting process in place to ensure public safety as this technology is being tested. Twenty manufacturers have already obtained permits to test hundreds of cars on California roads. Uber shall do the same." 

The Wall Street Journal reports that there are only five self-driving Uber cars currently on San Fran's hilly roads for now, with more on the way in the weeks to come. 

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