The Uber test car spotted in Pittsburgh

Uber is getting much closer to eliminating its most costly expenditure – it’s drivers.

The app driven taxi company has been testing self-driving cars so they can fulfil their plans to automate rides and eliminate the need for drivers. Their automated driverless vehicle has been seen on residential streets by the Pittsburgh Business Times. It was only earlier this year that Uber announced that it would open a research facility in Pittsburgh to develop the technology.

The modified car was seen with multiple cameras and a spinning lidar sensor on the roof indicating that the car’s purpose is to map the streets. Both Google’s Street View and self-driving cars use similar technology.

Uber did state that the vehicle which has been spotted isn’t autonomous. “This is not a self-driving test car,” an Uber spokesperson said. “This vehicle is part of our early research efforts regarding mapping, safety and autonomy systems.”

Accurate mapping of roads is one of the key requirements of autonomous vehicles with accurate digital representation of roads and hazards being key to safe and successful operation.

Uber chief executive, Travis Kalanick has voiced his opinions on the importance of automated vehicles saying ‘this is the way the world is going,’ and he believes it will have a huge impact on the company if successful. Taxi drivers have been outraged by the plans of Uber with them potentially putting them out of a job however Kalanick sees this as a further opportunity for Uber to offer a new level of competitiveness.

Uber is working with robotics specialists from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The university already has an advanced robotics centre which has developed self-driving technology alongside some of Google’s projects.

Brian Johnson, an analyst for Barclays, said in a report earlier this week that the cost savings of self-driving cars for Uber could be revolutionary. He said for manufacturers the technology could be a huge downside with families needing less cars to get around and using one automated vehicle for the whole family.