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 / Modified may 23, 2018 11:37 a.m.

Uber Puts Brakes on Self-Driving Car Operation in Arizona

The move follows a collision in March that resulted in the death of a pedestrian.
by Associated Press

Uber self driving car hero An Uber self-driving vehicle in San Francisco.
Dllu, via Wikimedia Commons

PHOENIX — Uber is ending its operation of self-driving cars in Arizona more than two months after a woman was struck and killed by one of its vehicles.

The company notified about 300 workers Wednesday that their positions would be terminated.

Uber previously suspended operations of autonomous vehicles following the March 18 collision in which a 49-year-old woman was hit while crossing the street in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe.

The vehicle was in self-driving mode with a human backup driver at the wheel.

The ride-sharing service said in a prepared statement that it remains focused on a "top-to-bottom safety review" and will now focus more efforts on its engineering hubs in Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

The company says it will revive self-driving cars in Pittsburgh this summer.

Uber spokeswoman Stephanie Sedlak says the decision does not impact 550 other Arizona employees.

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