The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has approved the continued testing of Uber's self-driving vehicles in autonomous mode in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas for the first time since March of this year.
An Associated Press report indicates the ride-sharing company has been given permission by PennDOT to test their fleet in autonomous mode throughout all of Allegheny County. The approval comes nine months following the suspension of self-driving car operations after an incident where an Uber AV struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz.
Following the pedestrian death in Tempe, Uber did not return its self-driving fleet to Pittsburgh streets until July of this year, but only allowed the vehicles to be tested with a driver behind the wheel in manual mode at the time.
The PennDOT approval will allow the vehicles to operate in autonomous mode, but with restrictions. The test vehicles will not be able exceed 25 mph speeds on public roads, and also will not be traveling down the streets of Pittsburgh at night or in wet weather conditions.
Uber is approved for public road testing in Pennsylvania through December 2019.
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Source: Associated Press / KDKA-TV / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
