Uber testing self-driving cars in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - Residents here have been spotting a new type of Uber ride trolling the streets of this hilly city.

Black Ford Fusion Hybrids with roofs loaded down with sensors and doors emblazoned with the ride-sharing company's logo are making the rounds in order to collect digital situational data to make the robotic cars drive smarter.

Uber spokesperson Chelsea Kohler told USA TODAY that the vehicles, whose number remains unspecified, are "for internal use only, have a safety driver up front and are not part of our ride-sharing service in the city."

Behind the wheel of Uber's self-driving car: 'Frightening and exhilarating'

A few weeks ago, Uber began not only testing similar self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh, but also picking up passengers with the safety-driver equipped autonomous machines. It is the only U.S. city where riders can get picked up by an autonomous vehicle. Such programs are already underway in Singapore.

Uber recently announced a $300 million partnership with Swedish automaker Volvo to help each other develop self-driving technology.

Eventually, some 100 self-driving Volvo XC90 SUVs will go into service in the Pennsylvania city, which is home to Uber's nascent Advanced Technologies Center. The center is staffed with many former employees of nearby Carnegie Mellon University, which for decades has been on the forefront of robotics.

The war for talented self-driving car engineers is hot, and online education site Udacity has recently added a Nanodegree in autonomous cars, with a promise of possible employment from site partners such as Mercedes-Benz and Nvidia.

The ride-sharing giant, which is being valued at $67 billion despite lingering questions about its current profitability, also hopes to bring self-driving trucks to American highways.

Uber recently forked over 1% of its value, or $670 million, to buy Bay Area-based Otto, a new startup that is developing aftermarket gear that make big-rig trucks able to drive themselves on highways, while a driver would take over once the truck exits.

Otto cofounder Anthony Levandowski, a former Google Car pioneer, is now leading all of Uber's self-driving efforts.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick as well as leaders of companies such as Ford, BMW, Google and ride-sharing rival Lyft have cited 2021 as a date when self-driving cars could constitute the bulk of vehicles in urban centers. Apple also is rumored to be working on a vehicle, which could well be electric and autonomous.

Proponents argue that self-driving cars will save lives, reduce pollution and reclaim land. Skeptics cite accidents such as those plaguing Tesla as well as high regulatory and insurance issues as possible speed bumps.

Earlier this week, the Department of Transportation issued a 112-page document aimed at ensuring that those working on self-driving tech prioritize safety and share applicable and non-proprietary data to speed the arrival of an autonomous future.

Follow USA TODAY tech reporter  Marco Della Cava @marcodellacava.