War of the self-driving taxis? Uber announces plans to build fleet of autonomous cars as Google refuses to deny rumours that it's working on a taxi rival

  • Bloomberg tweeted that Google and Uber are 'going to war over taxis'
  • Google's official handle replied: 'We think you'll find Uber and Lyft work quite well. We use them all the time'
  • This fuelled speculation, as the reply was neither confirmation nor denial
  • It came on the same day Uber hinted it was working on self-driving cars
  • The taxi app is collaborating with roboticists at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Uber's range of autonomous cars would rival Google's driverless project

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Reports that Google is planning to launch an Uber rival took a turn late last night when the tech giant took to Twitter to reply to the claims.

Bloomberg Business tweeted that Google and Uber are 'going to war over taxis', to which Google's official handle replied: 'We think you'll find Uber and Lyft work quite well. We use them all the time.'

This fuelled speculation as the reply was neither a confirmation nor a denial of the rumours.

It also came on the same day Uber hinted it was working on its own range of self-driving cars.

Bloomberg Business tweeted that Google and Uber are 'going to war over taxis', to which Google's official handle replied: 'We think you'll find Uber and Lyft work quite well. We use them all the time.'  This has fuelled speculation - because the reply is neither a confirmation, or a denial of the reports

This range would directly compete with Google's autonomous vehicles. 

In a blog post, Uber said it would be partnering with roboticists at Carnegie Mellon University to create a centre devoted to research and development of mapping, car safety, and 'autonomous technology'.

'As a global leader in urban transportation, we have the unique opportunity to invest in leading edge technologies to enable the safe and efficient movement of people and things at giant scale,' Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden said.

GOOGLE TEAMS UP WITH HAILO 

In addition to the rumours and Twitter exchanges, taxi app Hailo announced it had partnered with Google for its Now cards.

Now cards are information boxes that appear in the Google app and offer tailored information at the right time.

The Hailo card will offer users the chance to order a cab home when they leave the office work, for example.

For people who have opted in to Google Now and have downloaded the Hailo app, the taxi company will send a Now card alert to anyone who has booked a journey from outer London zones in to Central London between 7am and 10am, and an offer a cab home if the passenger is in the same location after 5pm.

'This collaboration and the creation of the Uber Advanced Technologies Center represent an important investment in building for the long term of Uber.'

Uber lets consumers use an app to locate a driver and instantly book a ride.

Google was an early backer of the San Francisco-based firm, investing $258 million (£170 million) in the controversial ride-sharing service through its venture capital arm in August 2013.

David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer and senior vice president of corporate development, then joined the Uber board of directors.

Google Maps software is already integrated into Uber to let users check progress of drivers on their way to pick them up.

But, an unnamed source told Bloomberg that Google is preparing to offer its own service, and it was likely to use its driverless cars. 

The report continued that Mr Drummond had told Uber's board of this possibility, and executives had seen screenshots of what appears to be a Google ride-sharing app, currently being used by employees.

Uber is working with Carnegie Mellon University on the project, and has hired several of the key academics to work for the firm directly - and secured a massive Pittsburgh warehouse to house them. 

The news came on the same day Uber hinted it was working on its own range of self-driving cars. In a blog post, the taxi app (pictured) said it would be partnering with roboticists at Carnegie Mellon University to create a centre devoted to research and development of mapping, car safety, and 'autonomous technology'

San Francisco-based Uber has grown into one of the world's largest startups, and now operates in more than 200 cities in 54 countries around the world.

But the app's growth has also cause friction with existing taxi operations, and posed challenges for regulators.

Uber does not employ drivers or own its vehicles, but instead uses independent contractors with their own cars. 

Since launching in 2010, Uber has also been dubbed a prime example of a 'disruptive' economic force, and taxi drivers in dozens of cities have staged protests against the firm.   

This range would directly compete with Google's autonomous vehicles (pictured with Google Chairman Eric Schmidt (left) and  US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (right). An unnamed source told Bloomberg that Google is preparing to offer its own service, and it was likely to use its driverless cars

This range would directly compete with Google's autonomous vehicles (pictured with Google Chairman Eric Schmidt (left) and  US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (right). An unnamed source told Bloomberg that Google is preparing to offer its own service, and it was likely to use its driverless cars

UBER

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