What self-driving cars mean for Uber riders and drivers right now

Uber is testing self-driving vehicles in a small number of cities, but these are not yet available to most riders. The company operates a separate division called Uber ATG (Advanced Technologies Group) that develops autonomous vehicle technology, though this division was sold to Aurora Innovation in 2020. Today, the vast majority of Uber rides are still driven by human drivers, and that is unlikely to change rapidly across most markets.

Self-driving Uber vehicles that do operate in test cities typically run on specific routes during limited hours, often with a safety operator inside the car. These pilots are designed to gather data and refine the technology, not to replace human drivers at scale. If you request an Uber in a city running a pilot program, you will not automatically get a self-driving car — you may not even have the option to request one.

Key Takeaways

  • Self-driving Uber vehicles are being tested in only a handful of cities and are not available to most riders.
  • Current test programs use self-driving cars on limited routes during specific hours, often with a safety operator present.
  • Human drivers still provide the vast majority of Uber rides and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
  • Uber's self-driving division was sold to Aurora Innovation in 2020, meaning Uber now partners with other companies rather than building the technology alone.

Where self-driving Uber pilots are actually running

Uber has tested autonomous vehicles in cities including San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Phoenix at different points. However, these programs have been scaled back, paused, or transferred to partners. San Francisco had a pilot program, but Uber's self-driving operations there were limited. Pittsburgh hosted testing for several years but that program has also wound down in its original form.

The most visible self-driving Uber service has been in Phoenix, Arizona, where Uber partnered with Waymo (a self-driving company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet) to offer rides in self-driving Waymo vehicles through the Uber app. This partnership allows some Phoenix riders to request a Waymo autonomous ride, though availability is restricted to certain neighborhoods and times of day. Even in Phoenix, most Uber rides are still provided by human drivers.

If you live outside these test cities, self-driving Uber rides are not an option you will encounter. The technology is still in development, and companies are moving cautiously because autonomous vehicles must prove they are safe before regulators allow wider deployment.

How self-driving cars affect Uber drivers

Uber drivers have not been displaced by self-driving vehicles because the rollout is so limited. However, the long-term question of how autonomous vehicles will reshape the driver workforce is a real concern for people who drive for Uber. If self-driving technology becomes reliable and legal across many cities, it could eventually reduce demand for human drivers on certain routes or during certain times of day.

Currently, Uber still depends entirely on its driver network. The company has not announced plans to phase out human drivers in any market, and doing so would require solving technical, legal, and regulatory challenges that remain unsolved. Self-driving cars must handle rain, snow, construction, unusual traffic patterns, and edge cases that occur rarely but unpredictably — problems that human drivers navigate routinely but that autonomous systems still struggle with.

The difference between Uber's self-driving work and other companies

Uber no longer builds its own self-driving technology. After selling its self-driving division to Aurora Innovation in 2020, Uber shifted to a partnership model. This means Uber now works with companies like Waymo that have already developed autonomous vehicle systems, rather than developing the technology in-house.

Other ride-hailing companies have taken different paths. Lyft, Uber's main competitor, has also partnered with autonomous vehicle companies (including Waymo and Aptiv) but has not built its own self-driving division. Traditional taxi companies and some regional ride services have largely stayed out of autonomous vehicle development. The self-driving car space is dominated by tech companies like Waymo, Tesla, Cruise (owned by General Motors), and Aurora — not by ride-hailing platforms themselves.

What happens when you request an Uber in a city with self-driving pilots

In Phoenix, where Waymo self-driving rides are available through Uber, you can request a ride through the Uber app as usual. The app may show you whether a self-driving vehicle or a human driver is available for your specific pickup location and time. You can choose which type of ride you prefer, or the app may assign you based on availability. The ride experience itself is similar to a regular Uber ride, except there is no human driver — instead, there is typically a safety operator who can take control of the vehicle if needed.

In cities without self-driving pilots, requesting an Uber works exactly as it always has: you get a human driver. There is no separate option to request an autonomous vehicle because none are available. Uber does not automatically route you to a self-driving car if you happen to live in a test city — you have to be in the right location at the right time, and the service has to be operating.

Safety and insurance questions about self-driving Uber rides

Self-driving Uber vehicles are insured, and Uber carries liability coverage for rides in autonomous vehicles just as it does for rides with human drivers. However, the question of who is responsible if an accident occurs — the vehicle owner, the software company, the ride-hailing platform, or the safety operator — is still being worked out in courts and legislatures. Insurance requirements for autonomous vehicles vary by state and are still evolving.

Safety operators in self-driving Uber vehicles are trained to monitor the road and take control if the autonomous system fails or encounters a situation it cannot handle. These operators are not the same as regular Uber drivers — they are employees of the autonomous vehicle company, not independent contractors. The presence of a safety operator is one reason self-driving pilots remain limited; scaling to thousands of vehicles would require training and employing thousands of safety operators.

Why self-driving Uber rollout has been slower than expected

When Uber first announced its self-driving ambitions around 2016, many people expected autonomous Uber rides to be common by 2020 or 2021. That has not happened. Self-driving technology has proven harder to perfect than early optimists predicted. Autonomous vehicles can handle highway driving and straightforward urban routes, but they struggle with heavy rain, snow, complex intersections, pedestrians in unexpected places, and the thousands of edge cases that occur in real-world driving.

Regulatory approval has also been slower than expected. States and cities want to see extensive safety data before allowing autonomous vehicles to operate without restrictions. Insurance companies are still figuring out how to price coverage for vehicles with no human driver. And public acceptance remains mixed — many people are uncomfortable riding in a car with no one at the wheel, even if data shows it is safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I request a self-driving Uber in my city?

Self-driving Uber rides are only available in Phoenix, Arizona, through a partnership with Waymo. If you live elsewhere, self-driving Uber rides are not currently an option. Even in Phoenix, the service is limited to certain neighborhoods and times of day, and availability changes based on weather and operational needs.

Will Uber replace all its drivers with self-driving cars?

There is no timeline for Uber to replace human drivers with autonomous vehicles on a large scale. The technology is still in early testing, and Uber would need to solve technical, legal, and regulatory challenges before that could happen. For the foreseeable future, human drivers will remain the backbone of Uber's service.

Is it safe to ride in a self-driving Uber?

Self-driving Uber vehicles in test programs include a safety operator who can take control if needed. These vehicles are insured and have been tested extensively before being offered to riders. However, autonomous vehicle safety is still an active area of research, and long-term safety data is still being collected.

What happened to Uber's self-driving division?

Uber sold its self-driving division, Uber ATG, to Aurora Innovation in 2020. Uber now partners with autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo instead of building the technology itself. This shift reflects the high cost and complexity of developing self-driving technology.

Do self-driving Uber drivers get paid differently?

Self-driving Uber vehicles do not have independent contractor drivers — they have safety operators who are employees of the autonomous vehicle company. This is different from regular Uber drivers, who are independent contractors. The employment model for autonomous vehicles is still evolving.