California Orders Uber To Halt San Francisco Driverless Car Program On Day One

Uber's rollout of a self-driving car program in San Francisco got off to a bad start Wednesday when state regulators ordered the ride-hailing giant to shut the initiative down until it gets a $150 permit from California's Department of Motor Vehicles. Uber earlier said it didn't need a permit as humans are always at the wheel. "It is illegal for the company to operate its self-driving vehicles on public roads until it receives an autonomous vehicle testing permit," Brian Soublet, the DMV's deputy director and chief counsel, said in a letter to Anthony Levandowski, the head of Uber's driverless vehicle program. "Any action by Uber to continue the operation of vehicles equipped with autonomous technology on public streets in California must cease until Uber complies." The San Francisco-based company, which began a similar self-driving car program for Pittsburgh commuters in September, didn't immediately provide a comment on the DMV's announcement.