Uber launches UK's first robotaxis with a driver - here's what it's like to ride in one Londoners are able to hail the UK's first robotaxis - as Uber today becomes the first company to launch a self-driving minicab. Initially, it only has 15 autonomous vehicles with a licence to operate in the city, and each one must have a human safety driver behind the wheel ready to take control if anything goes wrong. Uber said it surveyed London-based customers via the app and more than 100,000 said they would choose a self-driving taxi if one was available, despite incidents of driverless rides malfunctioning in US cities where they already operate. As I found out when I became the first UK journalist to hail one, it was mostly smooth but the safety driver did intervene on one occasion. At the moment the UK fare for a robotaxi ride will be the same fare as a standard UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort journey, with upfront fares shown in the app.

Uber Technologies has laid off 3,300 employees, or 10 percent of its workforce, marking the largest cuts to the ride-hailing company's headcount since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a memo to employees on Wednesday, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the cuts were part of wider efforts reducing layers of management and "simplifying team structures" as the company looks to "build the autonomous future" as well as "invest even more in drivers, couriers and merchants". "A leaner organisation will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating," Khosrowshahi said. Khosrowshahi also told employees that the company is pushing for most of its workers to return to the office, declaring, "going forward, only ~1% of employees will be remote". The latest round of cuts comes just weeks after the ride-sharing giant eliminated 10 percent of its customer service roles as it embraced artificial intelligence (AI), according to Bloomberg, which first reported the July cuts.

Mohammed Shirwa, an Uber driver from Rotterdam, claims Uber's pay-setting mechanism preys on weakness. Mohammed Shirwa, an Uber driver from Rotterdam, claims Uber's pay-setting mechanism preys on weakness. Uber drivers launch European class action over'soulless' and'scary' AI algorithm Landmark lawsuit claims tech company's pay-setting system has breached privacy laws and pushed down earnings Uber drivers have launched a landmark legal action against the ride-hailing company claiming they live in "constant fear" of a "soulless" algorithm it uses to set pay and allocate jobs. Drivers from the UK, the Netherlands and other countries have joined the compensation claim that could run into billions of dollars. It alleges an AI-powered pay-setting system breaches data protection laws and pushes down their earnings.

Uber teen accounts now feature live video, letting parents watch their teen's ride in real time. The feature is live in nine U.S. markets with a nationwide rollout coming soon.

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A investigation also found that Uber had received reports of sexual abuse or misconduct every eight minutes between 2017 to 2022. In response, Uber stated that 75 percent of these reports were less serious. A Phoenix court subsequently found Uber partially liable for rape and violence its drivers committed against passengers . Uber has since expanded its safety measures, and now runs background checks on the past 99 years of a driver's life rather than just seven.

You'll start seeing a lot more taxis in Las Vegas with no human driver behind the wheel over the coming year. The Nevada Transportation Authority has approved Tesla's, Waymo's and Uber's applications for an Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit, which gives them the authority to offer paid rides in Clark County, including Las Vegas. Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt has reported that Nevada officials gave Tesla permission to deploy up to 5,000 robotaxis over the next 12 months after their August 20th meeting. The company's permit reportedly allows it to operate across the entire state, provided it notifies the agency that it's expanding its coverage. According to the Q&A with Tesla during the session, the company is working with law enforcement to shoot a five-minute step-by-step video first responders can follow for emergencies involving its autonomous vehicles.

You could soon get your Uber Eats order delivered by a Zipline drone thanks to the latest partnership between the two companies. As detailed in an Uber press release, the company is targeting a goal of one million drone deliveries each day by end of 2029. The partnering companies also announced that the first deployments are scheduled for later this year, with drone deliveries first becoming available in Zipline's existing US markets, including Pea Ridge, Ark. and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, before expanding to dozens of more cities. On top of the combination of Uber's network and Zipline's drone fleet, Uber made a strategic investment into Zipline but didn't disclose the financial details. Before this partnership, Zipline teamed up with Walmart and Chipotle to make food and retail deliveries.

Look Up Say More Versus Creator Hub Switch Off Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Trending Now Safety Net In My Bag VidCon with Mashable Back to School Furtastic All Series A leaked document reveals the surveillance company planned to tap roughly 350,000 rideshare vehicles for data collection. Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and . Flock Safety, the company behind a nationwide network of automatic license plate readers, pitched a plan to convert hundreds of thousands of Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers into a mobile extension of its surveillance system, according to a company presentation obtained by 404 Media .

In at least two places, Uber has pushed a policy that could give it an advantage over developers of self-driving cars. The company says it's fighting monopolies. A decade ago, then-Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said he saw autonomous vehicles as an existential threat to the ride-hail company's business model. "What would happen if we weren't a part of that future? Then the future passes us by," Kalanick told Business Insider .