Uber riders to be able to hail self-driving cars for first time

Ride-sharing firm to trial autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh as it also announces tie up with Volvo to develop driverless cars

Uber passengers in Pittsburgh will be able to hail self-driving cars for the first time within the next few weeks as the taxi firm tests its future vision of transportation in the city.

The company said on Thursday that an unspecified number of autonomous Ford Fusions will be available to pick up passengers as with normal Uber vehicles. The cars won't exactly be driverless - they will have human drivers as backup - but they are the next step towards a fully automated fleet.