Men stand in front of a Uber sign as drivers protest the company's recent fare cuts and go on strike in front of the car service's New York offices. (Photo : Getty Images/Spencer Platt)
Pittsburgh will soon have driverless Uber cars running around their roads as car service. Residents are still worried about the ability of a self-driving car.
According to Los Angeles Times, this event will be a historic moment for all robotic cars. This will also make this technology a reality for many people. They can touch and experience this rather than just read about it in an article.
The driverless-cars have been tested on open roads since May. Around the city of Pittsburgh, its citizens have seen the car company's prototypes running on the roads. The cars' rooftops have sensors and communications equipment.
The driverless-car project is still shrouded in secrecy, even though people have been seeing it driving around. The drivers who sometimes ferry Uber employees to work in the Strip District also do not know about it.
The city residents have given a variety of reactions of the new technology. Some hope that this will contribute to their city's story of renewal. Some of them also question about the cars' performance on the city's complicated road network.
Some residents are concerned about how the vehicles will affect the overall economy. Most residents are reluctant to trust a technology that the car company has kept secret for so long.
City resident Ada Gana told the publication in an interview that she is scared of a vehicle is driven by a robot. She said that she will be more confident if the car was driven by a person.
Each of the driverless cars will have two full-time employees that have been staffed by the company. The first employee will be the one to grasp the wheel, while the second one will have to keep an eye on the computer software. This will not change until they will debut their driverless service.
The company told Chicago Tribune that they will offer the feature to the residents with the most Uber trips recorded. The customers can accept or ignore the program, and the rides will be free for now. Those who will join the program will receive an update to their Uber apps, which lets them summon a driverless car.
For customers who want to hail a driverless Uber car, the ride's origin and destination must be within its operating boundaries. The vehicles currently work in downtown Pittsburgh, across the Allegheny River in the North Shore area, and eastward past Carnegie Mellon University toward Shadyside.
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