Arizona Governor Doug Ducey directed the Arizona Department of Transportation to suspend Uber ’s examination of ego - driving cable car on Monday , in reply to an incident last calendar week in which anautonomous car struck and killeda pedestrian . InDucey ’s letter to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi , the regulator called dash footage of the crash “ disturbing and alarming ” and claimed the event was an “ unquestionable failure to comply ” with his state ’s standards of prioritizing public safety .
But emails between Uber and Ducey ’s office , obtained byThe Guardian , indicate that Ducey was n’t always so concerned with Uber not prioritise public guard .
The Guardian reports that Ashwini Chhabra , the head of policy developing at Uber , wrote Ducey ’s deputy headman of staff , Danny Seiden , on August 19th , 2016 , informing him that “ starting this weekend ” Uber would begin “ test some self - driving functionality . ” But Chhabra assured Seidan , “ There will be guard drivers at the wheel , so wo n’t look much different from what ’s already been on the road but want to flag it for you nonetheless . ”
Chhabra also told Seidan that Uber would like to give Phoenix constabulary “ a heads up ” about the testing program , and require Seidan if he would suggest someone he could contact who is “ discreet . ”
Four calendar month later , in December 2016 , Uber started examine self - driving cars in San Francisco without trying to obtain the self - drive cable car permits required in California . When the commonwealth annul registration of the 16 test vehicle , Uber embark the cars to Arizona . Ducey gleefully announced that “ Arizona welcome Uber ego - driving cars with opened blazon and wide open roads . ” As The Guardian note , Ducey did not mention in that announcement that Uber had already been test ego - driving cars on Arizona roads for several month .
Ducey ’s senior press secretarial assistant Patrick Ptak spokesperson told Gizmodo that the Governor ’s Office refute The Guardian ’s finale that Uber was endure a secret self - driving gondola testing course of study in Arizona . “ It is completely false , and we dead reject in every way the suggestion that this was not done in a see-through way , ” Ptak told Gizmodo , “ Arizona has been very public about the testing and operation of ego - drive cars — it has been anything but a secret . ”
As proof , Ptak apportion an clause from theArizona Capital Timesfrom August 15th , 2016 : “ New instrument panel explores rules for driverless cars in Arizona , ” which say that “ ego - drive cars are already being tested on Arizona route . ” Ptak also mentioned an executive order that Ducey sign up in the summertime of 2015 , allowing for the examination and operation of ego - force motorcar . However , that executive social club was include in The Guardian article .
Uber did not respond to Gizmodo ’s request for comment on whether it actively endeavor to keep the self - driving car program from the Phoenix world in 2016 .
The e-mail obtain by The Guardian show that Uber had been wooing Ducey since shortly after he entered office . A month into Ducey ’s governorship , he get together with Uber Senior Vice President David Plouffe and Uber ’s caput of insurance policy for the Americas , Justin Kintz . Days afterward , Kintz email Ducey : “ I have intercourse [ Plouffe ] and [ Uber founder ] Travis [ Kalanick ] are as excited as I am to expand our footprint in Arizona , and we are boost that the res publica general assembly is interested in codify a permanent regulatory structure for ridesharing . ”
Ducey signed a bill in April 2015 that legalise drive - sharing . Emails show that Uber tried to get Ducey to wear an Uber shirt at the ceremony . Afterwards , Kintz emailed the regulator ’s honcho of stave saying Ducey is “ a real thought loss leader on these innovation issues . ”
Other email also show that Uber nudged the Governor ’s Office on other insurance issue , and Uber encouraged Ducey to do Puerto Rico for the society . The Guardian reports that when Uber launched Uber Eats , the ship’s company director of communication theory Taylor Patterson emailed Ducey ’s office : “ We ’d sleep with if you could press out this tweet sometime tomorrow . ‘ Welcome @ubereats to AZ ! squeeze the sharing economy makes bring impudent solid food at the tap of a button potential . ’ As always thank you so much for your sustenance . We could n’t do this without you guys . ”
The next day , July 12th , Ducey tweeted about Uber Eats , with a link to the website .
Great to have@ubereatsin AZ ! comprehend the sharing economy hit getting food at the strike of a button possible.https://t.co/RZFfyhUJE2
— Doug Ducey ( @DougDucey)July 12 , 2016
Ducey hastweeted about Uberabout 50 times .
[ The Guardian ]
ego - driving carsUber
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