Uber Eyes Facility in Detroit
Uber is now ‘working with the state’ on regulatory issues, according to an exec.
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Uber is reportedly eyeing an expansion to Motor City.
As , Uber’s vice president of global vehicle programs, Sherif Marakby, said the ridesharing service is thinking about opening a “facility” in Detroit, where it will likely work with car makers in the region on self-driving cars.
Uber is now “working with the state” on regulatory issues, Marakby said. Michigan lawmakers intended to make the state more friendly to self-driving car tech, including a bill that would remove the requirement for a person to be inside a self-driving car being testing on public roads.
Until then, Uber is focusing its efforts on Pennsylvania. Autonomous Ubers this week passengers in Pittsburgh, though a “driver” is along for the ride in case of emergency. “If a self-driving Uber is available, we’ll send it along with a safety driver up front to make sure the ride goes smoothly,” the company wrote in a blog post. “Otherwise it’s uberX as usual.”
Across the country, meanwhile, BMW has expanded its ReachNow ride-sharing service into Portland, Oregon.
ReachNow earlier this year with an initial fleet of 370 BMW i3 electric, BMW 328i and Mini Cooper vehicles. ReachNow requires a one-time $39 registration, and then charges drivers a minute, hourly or daily rate, much like Zipcar.
Now, it’s available in Portland. For a limited time, ReachNow is waiving that $39 sign-up fee, while per-minute rates are dropping to $0.41 per minute rather than $0.49 per minute. BMW also offers three hours for $50, 12 hours for $80, and 24 hours for $110.
Uber is reportedly eyeing an expansion to Motor City.
As , Uber’s vice president of global vehicle programs, Sherif Marakby, said the ridesharing service is thinking about opening a “facility” in Detroit, where it will likely work with car makers in the region on self-driving cars.
Uber is now “working with the state” on regulatory issues, Marakby said. Michigan lawmakers intended to make the state more friendly to self-driving car tech, including a bill that would remove the requirement for a person to be inside a self-driving car being testing on public roads.
