Uber Eyes Facility in Detroit Uber is now 'working with the state' on regulatory issues, according to an exec.
By Don Reisinger •
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Uber is reportedly eyeing an expansion to Motor City.
As Automotive News reports, Uber's vice president of global vehicle programs, Sherif Marakby, said the ridesharing service is thinking about opening a "facility" in Detroit, where it will likely work with car makers in the region on self-driving cars.
Uber is now "working with the state" on regulatory issues, Marakby said. Michigan lawmakers recently passed legislation intended to make the state more friendly to self-driving car tech, including a bill that would remove the requirement for a person to be inside a self-driving car being testing on public roads.
Until then, Uber is focusing its efforts on Pennsylvania. Autonomous Ubers this week started picking up passengers in Pittsburgh, though a "driver" is along for the ride in case of emergency. "If a self-driving Uber is available, we'll send it along with a safety driver up front to make sure the ride goes smoothly," the company wrote in a blog post. "Otherwise it's uberX as usual."
Across the country, meanwhile, BMW has expanded its ReachNow ride-sharing service into Portland, Oregon.
ReachNow launched in Seattle earlier this year with an initial fleet of 370 BMW i3 electric, BMW 328i and Mini Cooper vehicles. ReachNow requires a one-time $39 registration, and then charges drivers a minute, hourly or daily rate, much like Zipcar.
Now, it's available in Portland. For a limited time, ReachNow is waiving that $39 sign-up fee, while per-minute rates are dropping to $0.41 per minute rather than $0.49 per minute. BMW also offers three hours for $50, 12 hours for $80, and 24 hours for $110.
