Uber, Motional launch robotaxi service in Las Vegas

Uber Technologies Inc and driverless tech-maker Motional have launched their public robotaxi service in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

The deployment of robotaxi services was delayed because of regulatory scrutiny and delayed commercial adoption of autonomous vehicle technology.

The launch is part of a 10 year agreement between the two companies for driverless vehicles, with a roll out in Los Angeles expected to follow.

Motional's autonomous vehicles would also ferry passengers and delivery items for Uber and its Uber Eats division.

The companies said they would have vehicle operators for now, but they are working to make a fully driverless experience available to the public next year.

If an autonomous vehicle is available to pick up the rider, Uber will match the rider to the vehicle and they will get an offer to opt-in before the autonomous trip is confirmed and dispatched to pick them up.

After a brief hiatus, Uber is rekindling its robotaxi plans after selling its research division to San Francisco-based startup Aurora in 2020.

Uber has signed a 10 year deal with Nuro to use the company's driverless delivery pods in California and Texas.

Motional, which uses Hyundai Motor Co's IONIQ 5 electric car for the robotaxi service, is a joint venture between the South Korean manufacturer and automotive technology company Aptiv, and has been testing autonomous vehicles without safety drivers for a couple of years.