Uber Relocates Self-Driving Cars to Arizona After Fallout with California

The popular ride-hailing company, Uber, has moved its self-driving cars out of California after a row with the California state administration. It is now official that Uber has bid farewell to California and found a new home in Arizona.

Uber has had a short stint piloting its autonomous cars in the State of California. It has been a brief but bumpy ride program in the state of California. Uber had only tried the program in San Francisco in less than a week before the environment turned hostile on them. Uber could not give in to the demand made by the Californian authorities and had to ship out of California. The company had been asked to apply for a $150 permit to continue testing its autonomous cars on the California Streets. Uber, however, declined and opted out of California. You can view more of these details at.

Why uber left California

Uber Technologies INC company had tried to resist attempts made by the DMV in California requiring them to comply with the policy set. However, Uber finally gave in and relocated from California to the state of Arizona.

DMV first informed Uber that it was breaking the law and was required to suspend its operations in the state of California until they had acquired a permit. Uber however declined and continued with its operations.

The next step was taken by the Office of the Attorney General in California which wrote a letter demanding that Uber immediately back down until it receives the appropriate permit. However, Uber remained put in its autonomous car testing in San Francisco.

The DMV then decided to revoke the registration of 16 autonomous vehicles belonging to Uber Technologies Company. It further required that Uber gets a permit, just like other autonomous vehicle companies had done. This was the final blow that prompted Uber to take action. Uber gave in and decided to move out of California. You can read more of this at.

Uber welcomed in Arizona

Immediately Uber left California for Arizona; the Arizona state was just ready for them. The Governor of Arizona, Mr. Doug Ducey claimed that the regulations set by his neighboring state, California, were burdensome and welcomed uber’s self- driving cars to Arizona.

A statement issued by Ducey read that “Arizona welcomes Uber self- driving cars with open arms and wide open roads.” California puts the brakes on innovation and change with more bureaucracy and more regulation while Arizona is paving the way for new technology and new business. “California may not want you, but we do.” His statement read in another part.

Doug Ducey’s twitter feed showed his excitement as he took a swipe at the state of California. He was at some point tweeting the hashtags #ditchcalifornia and #AZmeans BIZ. You can also get the details of this at.

 Arizona’s Red Tape

Uber has found a new home in Arizona to conduct its testing for autonomous vehicles. Now the shift turns to the AZ Auto Coverage. With the entry of the self-driving cars, legislation concerning autonomous vehicles have been reviewed. The Arizona Auto Insurance Laws and Regulations currently have four dimensions that do not merge with autonomous cars.

Earlier in 2015, the Arizona governor approved new laws that are to regulate Uber and Lyft in the state. These two technology companies are now comfortably regulated in Arizona. After considerations, a law was signed that gave the legal platform for ridesharing in Arizona. Uber is likely to benefit from this legislation hence comply with the Arizona Auto Coverage requirements.

The bill requires Uber and Lyft to have liability insurance. The issue of insurance has been problematic in all the states Uber has been operating in. However, the bill by Arizona has fewer regulations and seems to lessen the burden on autonomous vehicle companies, something that Uber has been strongly advocating for. This is probably another reason why Uber relocated its self-driving cars to the state immediately after its fallout with California. You can have a view of the Auto coverage legislation at.