Uber's self-driving car program has been scaled back significantly, and the company no longer operates a consumer robotaxi service

Uber shut down its autonomous vehicle division, Uber ATG (Advanced Technologies Group), in December 2020. The company sold off its self-driving technology and assets to Aurora Innovation, a separate autonomous vehicle company. If you're looking for a driverless ride option through Uber, that service does not exist as a consumer product you can book through the app.

What Uber does operate today is its standard ride-hailing service with human drivers. The company has not returned to offering self-driving rides to the public, and there is no announced timeline for when or if that will change. Understanding what happened and why matters if you've heard claims about Uber's autonomous vehicle plans.

Key Takeaways

  • Uber sold its self-driving car division to Aurora Innovation in 2020 and no longer develops autonomous vehicles internally.
  • You cannot book a driverless Uber ride through the app — all Uber rides are currently driven by human drivers.
  • Uber's original self-driving program faced technical challenges, regulatory hurdles, and a fatal accident involving one of its test vehicles in 2018.
  • Some cities have other companies operating limited robotaxi services, but Uber is not one of them.

Why Uber stopped building self-driving cars

Uber's autonomous vehicle program ran from 2015 to 2020 and encountered serious obstacles. In 2018, one of Uber's self-driving test vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The incident raised questions about the safety of the technology and Uber's testing practices, and it became a turning point for the company's commitment to the project.

Beyond the accident, Uber faced mounting costs. Developing autonomous vehicle technology requires years of testing, regulatory approval in multiple jurisdictions, and significant capital investment with no may provide return. The company determined that the expense and timeline did not align with its business priorities, especially as ride-hailing itself remained unprofitable in many markets.

In 2020, Uber decided to exit the space entirely rather than continue pouring resources into an uncertain outcome. The sale to Aurora allowed Uber to recover some investment while stepping away from the technical and legal risks.

What happened to Uber's self-driving technology

When Uber sold its autonomous vehicle division to Aurora Innovation, the deal included Uber's self-driving hardware, software, and the engineers who had been working on the project. Aurora is a separate company founded by former leaders from Google, Tesla, and Uber's own ATG division.

Aurora has continued developing autonomous vehicle technology and has pursued partnerships with other companies, including trucking and logistics firms. However, Aurora's work is not integrated into Uber's consumer app, and Uber does not operate robotaxis through Aurora's technology.

Uber did invest in Aurora as part of the deal, so the company has a financial stake in Aurora's success, but that is different from Uber itself running self-driving cars for passengers.

Other companies operating driverless rides today

While Uber is not in the robotaxi business, a few other companies do operate limited self-driving ride services in specific cities. Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, runs a robotaxi service called Waymo One in parts of Phoenix, Arizona and San Francisco, California. Cruise, owned by General Motors, operated a driverless taxi service in San Francisco but paused operations in 2023 after a series of incidents.

These services are not widely available — they operate in small geographic areas, often require you to request a ride through a dedicated app rather than a mainstream ride-hailing platform, and may have restrictions on when and where they operate. If you want a driverless ride, your options are extremely limited and depend entirely on where you live.

How Uber's current ride service works

Uber's standard ride-hailing service connects you with a human driver through the Uber app. You request a ride, a nearby driver accepts, and they pick you up and take you to your destination. Drivers are independent contractors who use their own vehicles, and Uber takes a percentage of the fare.

This model has remained largely unchanged since Uber's founding. The company has experimented with other services — Uber Eats for food delivery, Uber Freight for trucking — but the core ride product still depends on human drivers. There is no self-driving option within the standard Uber app.

Regulatory and safety challenges that shaped the outcome

Self-driving cars face significant regulatory hurdles. Each state and city has different rules about where and how autonomous vehicles can be tested. Some jurisdictions require a human safety driver in the vehicle at all times; others have stricter liability rules that make companies responsible for accidents even when the vehicle is operating autonomously.

The 2018 fatal accident in Arizona highlighted safety concerns and drew scrutiny from regulators and the public. Even as technology improved, the legal and reputational risks remained substantial. For a company like Uber, which was already managing regulatory battles over driver classification and surge pricing, adding autonomous vehicle liability was an additional burden.

Insurance and liability frameworks for fully autonomous vehicles are still being developed. Without clear legal standards, companies face uncertainty about who is responsible if an accident occurs — the manufacturer, the software company, the vehicle owner, or the ride-hailing platform.

What this means if you use Uber today

If you use Uber now or are considering it, you will be matched with a human driver. There is no self-driving option, no separate tier for autonomous rides, and no way to request a driverless vehicle through the app. Uber's service works the same way it has for years: you book a ride, a driver accepts, and they drive you to your destination.

If autonomous vehicles become part of Uber's service in the future, that would require a major shift in the company's strategy and would likely be announced publicly. For now, Uber's business is built on connecting passengers with human drivers, and that remains the case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I request a self-driving Uber?

No. Uber does not offer self-driving rides. All Uber rides are driven by human drivers. If you book an Uber through the app, you will be matched with a person behind the wheel.

Does Uber still work on autonomous vehicles?

Uber does not develop autonomous vehicles anymore. The company sold its self-driving division to Aurora Innovation in 2020. Uber has a financial investment in Aurora but does not operate self-driving cars itself.

What cities have driverless Uber rides?

No cities have driverless Uber rides. Waymo operates robotaxis in parts of Phoenix and San Francisco, and Cruise operated in San Francisco but paused service. These are separate companies, not Uber.

Why did Uber stop making self-driving cars?

Uber faced high costs, regulatory complexity, and a fatal accident involving one of its test vehicles in 2018. The company decided the investment and timeline did not align with its priorities and sold the division to Aurora Innovation instead.

Could Uber bring back self-driving cars in the future?

It is possible but not announced. Uber would need to rebuild an autonomous vehicle program from scratch or partner with a company like Aurora. There is no public timeline or commitment to do so.