Uber has halted its self-driving ride program on the streets of San Francisco after the state of California stripped its vehicles of proper registration.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revoked the registration on all 16 of Uber’s self-driving vehicles, forcing the ride-sharing company to shut down the program.
This move comes after the DMV sent Uber written warnings claiming that its self-driving program was against the law, as Uber didn’t obtain the proper permits for testing self-driving cars in California. Uber argued the point, claiming that the permits were not needed as their vehicles are under constant supervision by an engineer.
SEE ALSO: Uber Defies California Regulators, Keeps Self-Driving Cars on San Francisco Streets
“From a technology perspective, self-driving Ubers operate in the same way as vehicles equipped with advanced driver assist technologies, for example Tesla auto-pilot and other OEM’s traffic jam assist,” said Anthony Levandowski, head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group.
Despite Uber’s plea, California disagreed and sent Uber a letter on Wednesday, Dec. 21, informing the company that the registrations for its vehicles would be revoked as they were improperly issued, claiming they should have been issued as testing permits.
California has invited Uber to re-apply for a testing permit and the company has said that it will “be redoubling efforts to develop workable statewide rules.”
[Source: Automotive News]
