Uber Technologies plans to launch a self-driving mobility service in Japan, a company executive said Wednesday. The U.S. ride-hailing service provider plans to introduce autonomous rides in Japan once partner firms are ready, the executive said. Uber Technologies CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at an event in New York that autonomous rides will make streets safer. The company offers driverless rides in some cities in countries, including the United States, in partnerships with Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet, and other companies.

Starting Thursday, Uber users in Phoenix might find themselves taking a ride in a driverless car. The company, which sold its own self-driving unit a few years ago, has teamed up with Waymo to offer driverless rides. It's the first time Uber has offered fully autonomous rides. When someone in Phoenix requests an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride, they may be matched with a Waymo vehicle if they're in the service area and there's one available. Users will be able to request a ride with a human driver if they're matched with a Waymo but don't want to travel in a robotaxi.

This article is from Big Technology, a newsletter by Alex Kantrowitz. Cruise is expanding its self-driving taxi operation to Los Angeles amid a year of huge growth for autonomous driving. The GM subsidiary's entry into the second-largest city in the U.S.--which I reported first today at Big Technology--comes as it's increasing its autonomous rides by 49 percent per month and already doing more than 10,000 rides per week. In L.A., Cruise will begin testing soon and then expand to self-driving ride-hailing. It will be the company's eighth city of operation, up from one at the start of this year.

Lyft has started offering autonomous robotaxi rides, with two safety drivers on board, in Austin, Texas. The autonomous drives will be powered by Argo AI's technology in Ford vehicles. Prices for the rides will also be the same as normal Lyft rides. When the vehicle arrives, riders use the Lyft app to unlock the doors and start their ride. While riders will be sharing their rides will two safety operators right now, the company aims to give fully autonomous rides in the future.

Waymo's self-driving ride-hailing service is branching out to San Francisco. The autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet, Google's parent company, said Wednesday that it started carrying employees in electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs without human backup drivers. Previously the company had been testing the vehicles with a safety driver behind the wheel just in case. Waymo didn't elaborate on when it might offer autonomous rides to the public in San Francisco. The company has been using autonomous minivans without human backups to carry passengers in the East Valley of the Phoenix metro area since 2020.

Waymo's self-driving ride-hailing service is branching out to San Francisco. The autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet, Google's parent company, said Wednesday that it started carrying employees in electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs without human backup drivers. Previously the company had been testing the vehicles with a safety driver behind the wheel just in case. Waymo didn't elaborate on when it might offer autonomous rides to the public in San Francisco. The company has been using autonomous minivans without human backups to carry passengers in the East Valley of the Phoenix metro area since 2020.

At first glance, the forays Apple Inc., Google and other technology giants are making into the world of cars don't appear to be particularly lucrative. Building automobiles requires factories, equipment and an army of people to design and assemble large hunks of steel, plastic and glass. The world's top 10 carmakers had an operating margin of just 5.2% in 2020, a fraction of the 34% enjoyed by the tech industry's leaders, data compiled by Bloomberg show. But for Apple and other behemoths that are diving into self-driving tech or have grand plans for their own cars, that push isn't just about breaking into a new market -- it's about defending valuable turf. "Why are tech companies pushing into autonomous driving? Because they can, and because they have to," said Chris Gerdes, co-director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University.

At first glance, the forays Apple Inc., Google and other technology giants are making into the world of cars don't appear to be particularly lucrative. Building automobiles requires factories, equipment and an army of people to design and assemble large hunks of steel, plastic and glass. The world's top 10 carmakers had an operating margin of just 5.2% in 2020, a fraction of the 34% enjoyed by the tech industry's leaders, data compiled by Bloomberg show. But for Apple and other behemoths that are diving into self-driving tech or have grand plans for their own cars, that push isn't just about breaking into a new market -- it's about defending valuable turf. "Why are tech companies pushing into autonomous driving? Because they can, and because they have to," said Chris Gerdes, co-director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University.

At first glance, the forays Apple Inc., Google and other technology giants are making into the world of cars don't appear to be particularly lucrative. Building automobiles requires factories, equipment and an army of people to design and assemble large hunks of steel, plastic and glass. The world's top 10 carmakers had an operating margin of just 5.2% in 2020, a fraction of the 34% enjoyed by the tech industry's leaders, data compiled by Bloomberg show. But for Apple and other behemoths that are diving into self-driving tech or have grand plans for their own cars, that push isn't just about breaking into a new market -- it's about defending valuable turf. "Why are tech companies pushing into autonomous driving? Because they can, and because they have to," said Chris Gerdes, co-director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University.

This ebook, based on the latest ZDNet / TechRepublic special feature, examines how driverless cars, trucks, semis, delivery vehicles, drones, and other UAVs are poised to unleash a new level of automation in the enterprise. Imagine: After a long flight home from a conference, you walk outside to the airport's ground transportation and are met by an airport shuttle, which takes you directly to your car. Here's the plot twist: The shuttle is operating without a human driver. This hypothetical scenario will most likely become reality within the next five years, said Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who studies autonomous vehicles. "At the societal level, self-driving cars have the potential to save millions of lives, reshape our cities, reduce emissions, give back billions of hours of time and restore freedom of movement," said Mo ElShenawy, vice president of engineering at GM Cruise.