Uber just made its biggest move yet to adopt self-driving cars

Uber just made a deal that will boost its self-driving efforts in a big way as well as signal a shift in the way the company operates. 

The company announced a partnership with Volvo where it would buy "tens of thousands" of self-driving vehicles from the Swedish automaker, deploying them from 2019-2020. The exact terms of the deal weren't initially disclosed, but an Uber spokesperson confirmed to Mashable via email that the fleet size will be around 24,000 vehicles. The agreement is worth over $1 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal report. 

The agreement marks a bold step forward for Uber, both for its autonomous program and its overall operational strategy. The ride-hailing company has long depended on drivers, which the company treats as independent contractors, to make up its fleet, but the next few years will likely see a flood of Uber-owned driverless vehicles taking the streets.    Read more...