(Image source from: slashgear.com)

Phoenix:
Uber has shut down its self-driving car operation in Arizona two months after a fatal crash involving one of its vehicles, the company said on Wednesday.

Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] is not shuttering its entire autonomous vehicle program and will focus on limited testing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and two cities in California, a spokeswoman said.

The ride-hailing company aims to resume self-driving operations this summer, likely with smaller routes and fewer cars, she said.

“We’re committed to self-driving technology, and we look forward to returning to public roads in the near future,” the spokeswoman said.

Arizona’s wide, flat roads, good weather and corporation-friendly regulations are considered ideal to test autonomous vehicles. Uber now faces the challenge of testing in congested, urban cities with rain, fog, snow and ice.

It must also repair its relationship with regulators in California, where it lacks a testing permit, and in Pittsburgh.

Uber has said it considers self-driving technology important to the future of its ride services, although it is not clear how it fits into the plans of new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi. He has revamped the company structure and cut certain expenses as Uber prepares for an initial public offering next year.

Uber suspended its program in Arizona and elsewhere immediately after one of its SUVs operating in autonomous mode hit and killed a woman crossing the street on a March night in Tempe, marking the first fatality involving a self-driving vehicle.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey suspended Uber’s self-driving testing - a little more than a year after giving the company a warm reception and poking fun at California’s stricter regulations.

“The governor’s focus has always been on what’s best for Arizonans and for public safety, not for any one company,” Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for Ducey, said on Wednesday.

A 49 year old Man, identified to be Elaine Herzberg, who was cycling outside the crossover on a four-laned roadway when she was struck by the Uber vehicle traveling at about 40 miles (64 km) per hour.

A safety operator behind the wheel appeared to be staring down, and not at the roadside, just few moments before the crash, according to video from released by police

By Lokesh