Uber must cease its autonomous vehicle rides in the San Francisco area. If it doesn’t comply, the state government has threatened the company with legal action. According to the local Department of Motor Vehicles, Uber doesn’t have the necessary autonomous vehicle permit to operate the modified cars.
The state’s rules for self-driving cars don’t apply in Uber’s case, says the company. It only took a few hours for California to demand the company stop transporting people in the vehicles.
Because the cars require a human be behind the wheel, Uber argues they don’t meet the state’s definition of “autonomous vehicles” and therefore no special permit is required.
