Self-Driving Cars: Uber Failed To Get Permit From DMV To Operate Autonomous Cars In San Francisco

No one likes standing in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), not even Uber. The ride-hailing app launched a fleet of self-driving cars in San Francisco on Tuesday but opted not to go through the vetting process put in place by the California DMV, according to a report from TechCrunch.

Uber isn’t the first company to test autonomous vehicles in the state, and the DMV has a process for granting permission to companies who would like to put those computer-guided cars on the road.

Twenty companies, including Tesla, Google, BMW and Ford have gone through the DMV’s Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program, which is administered by the department's occupational licensing branch. Uber is not one of them.

“We have a permitting process in place to ensure public safety as this technology is being tested,” the California DMV said in a statement. “Twenty manufacturers have already obtained permits to test hundreds of cars on California roads. Uber shall do the same.”

Uber has responded to the DMV’s concerns about the company’s failure to undergo the standard vetting process by arguing its testing doesn’t require the permits the DMV provides.

The test fleet of vehicles rolling out in San Francisco will be primarily controlled by humans, and a driver will be behind the wheel at all times to take control when necessary. The test fleet will operate in essentially the same way as the company’s pilot program in Pittsburgh launched earlier this year.

“The rules apply to cars that can drive without someone controlling or monitoring them. For us, it’s still early days and our cars are not yet ready to drive without a person monitoring them,” Anthony Levandowski, the head of advanced technology at Uber, said in a blog post.

In arguing that it wasn’t subjected to the same rules that have applied to other companies, Levandowski also dinged the state of California for being too strict in attempting to regulate autonomous cars.

“Most states see the potential benefits, especially when it comes to road safety. And several cities and states have recognized that complex rules and requirements could have the unintended consequence of slowing innovation,” he wrote. “Our hope is that California, our home state and a leader in much of the world’s dynamism, will take a similar view.”