Uber is in hot water with their self-driving cars again, wait why are they trying to develop self driving cars? They’re not doing it to advance science or because they think it’ll be the safest option to drive one day, they’re motivated by the greatest motivator for any company, money. Uber reportedly made almost around 1.5 billion dollars. That would be great if they didn’t have a deficit of 2.2 billion dollars. Their losses are expected to reach 3 billion dollars by the end of the year. How could such a popular company be losing that much money? The simple answer is drivers. Uber charges such a cheap fare that Uber itself actually has to pay upwards of 60% of the cost of each fare to the driver for them to make a livable wage. In order to make any money, Uber will have to do something about their drivers.
Enter self-driving cars. Uber recently partnered with Volvo and both companies have invested a combined 300 million dollars into the self driving program. They’ve already launched a pilot program in Pittsburgh where the Uber headquarters is. The local officials there loved the idea and welcomed it with open arms. Of course, there are other autonomous driving programs in Pittsburgh so there is little surprise there. Uber then decided to start up tests in San Francisco. They told everyone but the city officials. Needless to say they and the state of CA was not happy. In fact, they demanded Uber cease all self-driving tests and apply for a permit to operate those type of vehicles in CA. It’s not an unreasonable request since 28 other companies all got their permits to conduct and develop self-driving cars in CA.
Instead of complying, Uber basically told the entire state of CA to calm down and formally informed them that they have absolutely no intention of getting a permit and they refuse to stop their tests. Anthony Levandowski, the head of Uber’s autonomous vehicle program, “We cannot in good conscience sign up to regulation for something we’re not doing,” he said in a statement.
“It’s an important issue of principle about when companies can operate self-driving cars on the roads and the uneven application of statewide rules across very similar types of technology.” Levandowski even added a colorful metaphor: “You don’t need a belt and suspenders … if you’re wearing a dress.”
California wasn’t happy about that at all. In a letter to Uber the DMV told them “If Uber does not confirm immediately that it will stop its launch and seek a testing permit, DMV will initiate legal action.” What those legal actions actually are remain unclear. What is clear, is that Uber will not back down from a legal battle. Uber as well as its founder are no strangers to legal battles. It is common practice for Uber to move into an area and operate without any permission at all. They then fight tooth and nail for autonomy and as little regulation as possible only to antagonize pretty much everyone but the passengers. This time Uber’s defense against getting a permit is the fact that the self-driving cars are not entirely autonomous. They still require a human operator behind the wheel at all times. The technology is more like Tesla’s autopilot rather than Google’s humanless car.
To make matters worse, some startling reports are coming in about Uber’s self driving program. There are at least two instances where the Uber self-driving cars have run red lights and other reports that they perform reckless maneuvers that could potentially endanger pedestrians and other drivers. Uber even admits that their self-driving technology could pose problems for cyclists. There have been numerous reports that the cars perform in ways, like sharp hook turns, that could potentially cause a fatal accident when cyclists are involved. The director of transportation for Oakland has noted “bike lanes present a unique challenge for driverless technology”, because cyclists are agile and can travel at high speeds. “It can be more difficult to predict their behavior.” Whether Uber can overcome these issues remains to be seen, but the current drivers are very unhappy. Many of them see the advancement of self-driving cars to be a threat to their livelihood. Uber has said that there will be a human presence in the self-driving cars but it is unlikely that they need dedicated drivers.
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