Uber to Let California Self-Driving-Car Permit Lapse

Uber Technologies Inc. said it doesn't plan to renew its permit to test autonomous vehicles in California following a fatal crash involving one its robot vehicles last week in Tempe, Ariz. The company will let its testing permit lapse at month's end, rather than resubmit for renewal and face potential scrutiny amid an investigation into the circumstances of the accident. Uber's self-driving vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian crossing a Tempe street with her bicycle outside of a crosswalk. "We proactively suspended our self-driving operations, including in California, immediately following the Tempe incident," said an Uber spokeswoman in a statement. "Given this, we decided to not reapply for a California DMV permit with the understanding that our self-driving vehicles would not operate on public roads in the immediate future."