In a unpredictable move, taxi super-company Uber is going to begin releasing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. That’s right, the steel city is getting intelligent cars. Uber posted a press release on their website a few days ago about the new development that began “if you’re driving around Pittsburgh in the coming weeks you might see a strange sight: a car that looks like it should be driven by a superhero.” The new cars have a funky looking things on top of them that resemble something from Back To The Future or those things that they strapped to the back of their trucks in Twister
If you live in Pittsburgh, keep an eye out for a self-driving @Uber. https://t.co/RT5lyNfrSg pic.twitter.com/BtpS51dqak
— CNNMoney (@CNNMoney) May 19, 2016
It’s wild that Uber has chosen Pittsburgh as the first city for their self-driving cars for a few reasons. Firstly, the city is rather odd. It’s pretty much built on the side of a mountain. You would figure they’d start out in a city with a more normal grid. Secondly, Uber was recently sued by the city of Philadelphia for millions of dollars.
Why are presidential candidates going to Pittsburgh and talking about coal and steel — and not Uber and Google? https://t.co/0kedEeP9la
— Richard Fawkes (@rafawkes) May 24, 2016
But the self-driving cars will have huge impacts on the city. Pittsburgh is not generally seen as a 21st century technological hub. You probably think Silicon Valley or San Fran when you hear innovation, but you almost certainly don’t think Pittsburgh. The company is saying that their self-driving cars could save a lot of lives. They state that 94% of accidents are the result of human error and that self driving cars can be the change in the system. William Peduto, the mayor of Pittsburgh praised the decision and that the new cars “can improve people’s lives — through increased road safety, less congestion, and more efficient and smarter cities.”
Featured Image: [Flickr/5chw4r7z]
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