Uber is Allegedly Testing its Self-Driving Cars in San Francisco

By S. Rina / 1474571832
(Photo : GettyImages/JustinSullivan) Uber's self-driving car has been spotted in San Francisco.

Following various rumors that Uber is looking to test-drive its autonomous vehicles in San Francisco and Detroit, it seems like the ride-sharing company is finally doing it in San Francisco. Several people claimed they spotted self-driving Uber cars in San Francisco area on Wednesday.

According to TechCrunch, a white Ford Fusion car was pictured by Mattermark editor in chief Alex Wilhelm at the intersection of Pacific and Montgomery, while Mercury Public Affairs Senior Vice President Drew Olanoff spotted a black autonomous vehicle on Market Street. Various other people have reported seeing such cars as well.

As of Tuesday, Uber did not have the permission to test self-driving cars in California. However, it does not imply that Uber broke any rule. Business Insider reported that a video shows the driver's hand on the wheel. There are speculations that the car may be used for mapping purpose, which is an essential step for deploying self-driving cars.

The spotted cars match the description of cars which were used by Uber in its pilot program in Pittsburgh. Earlier this month, Uber announced that select customers in Pittsburgh might get to ride in its self-driving car. For this purpose, it deployed 14 such cars. These self-driving cars are the Ford Fusion models and are equipped with camera, radar, and other sensors. Uber developed these cars in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University's robotics center.

TechCrunch reported that Uber does not have any timeline for when such cars would be offered to the customers. A company spokesperson said that Uber's self-driving cars are currently only for internal research.