Uber testing self-driving cars in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - Residents here have been spotting a new type of Uber ride trolling the streets of this hilly city. Black Ford Fusion Hybrids with roofs loaded down with sensors and doors emblazoned with the ride-sharing company's logo are making the rounds in order to collect digital situational data to make the robotic cars drive smarter. Uber spokesperson Chelsea Kohler told USA TODAY that the vehicles, whose number remains unspecified, are "for internal use only, have a safety driver up front and are not part of our ride-sharing service in the city." A few weeks ago, Uber began not only testing similar self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh, but also picking up passengers with the safety-driver equipped autonomous machines. It is the only U.S. city where riders can get picked up by an autonomous vehicle.