Ride-sharing firm Uber has been told to stop offering passengers self-driving cars in San Francisco, hours after it launched the service.
California regulators warned the company it had to stop immediately and get a state permit – or face legal action.
Uber had started giving passengers the option of a self-driving car, with a safety driver, when booking a journey.
The firm did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
Prior to the official order, a video of an Uber self-driving vehicle running a red light in San Francisco had been uploaded to YouTube.
Uber responded to this and another report of a similar incident in the city by blaming them on “human error” and adding it was investigating what happened.
“If Uber does not confirm immediately that it will stop its launch and seek a testing permit, [the Department of Motor Vehicles] will initiate legal action,” the California regulator wrote to the firm on Wednesday.
In a blog published on the same day, Anthony Levandowski – Uber’s head of advanced technology – referenced a “debate” over whether the company needed a permit to operate self-driving vehicles in the state.
“We don’t believe we do,” he wrote, adding that Uber’s vehicles all had on-board drivers who could take control when necessary.
408828 701221I dont usually comment but I gotta say thankyou for the post on this remarkable 1 : D. 273413
31181 867005Of course like your web site but you need to check the spelling on several of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I locate it really bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless Ill certainly come back once again. 590690
73854 355805i could only wish that solar panels cost only several hundred dollars, i would adore to fill my roof with solar panels- 524349
206298 156716Some genuinely nice and utilitarian info on this web web site , likewise I believe the style and style contains superb capabilities. 74415
255759 95519Nice post. I be taught 1 thing far more challenging on entirely different blogs everyday. It will all the time be stimulating to learn content from other writers and apply slightly one thing from their store. Id desire to use some with the content material on my blog whether you dont mind. Natually Ill give you a hyperlink on your net weblog. Thanks for sharing. 417027