Uber's Self-Driving Cars Arrive in Arizona

Uber's self-driving cars are on the roll in Arizona.

Passengers in Tempe now have the option to get picked up by a self-driving Uber, reports AZCentral.com. For the time being, Uber's self-driving vehicles will still have a human behind the wheel to take over if something goes wrong.

Brave enough to try it out? Just request an UberX via the app, and if you're in the right place at the right time, you'll be matched up with a self-driving vehicle. If you don't want to be Uber's guinea pig, no sweat: just cancel the ride and request a new one. Prices are the same as UberX.

The rollout in Arizona follows Uber's move in December to pull its fleet of self-driving cars off the streets of San Francisco after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the registrations for Uber's autonomous vehicles.

Uber had stubbornly refused to apply for a California permit for its self-driving fleet, claiming that since humans were behind the wheel at all times the cars didn't need the $150 permit. The California DMV disagreed, and revoked the SUVs' registrations.

Uber then loaded its Volvo XC90 SUVs onto flatbed trucks and rolled them over to Arizona, where Gov. Doug Ducey welcomed them with open arms.

Ducey was among the first in the state to catch a ride in Uber's self-driving cars:

Thanks for the smooth ride, @Uber_AZ. Arizona is proud to be home to your autonomous vehicle fleet! pic.twitter.com/AFKci3zZ7R — Doug Ducey (@dougducey) February 21, 2017

Google, one of several companies testing self-driving vehicles in California with a permit, is also operating in Arizona, with a fleet of Lexus SUVs supervised by the general public roaming the streets of Phoenix.

Uber self-driving cars are also on the road in Pittsburgh, where the ride-hailing service has been testing its technology since 2015.

The news comes as Uber finds itself at the center of another drama this week after former engineer Susan J. Fowler published a blog post describing a culture of sexism at the company. Among other claims, she said a male manager had solicited sex over company chat, and was only given a "stern stalking-to." Uber CEO Travis Kalanick on Monday pledged to "conduct an independent review" into reports that upper management at the company ignored incidents of sexual harassment.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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