Uber has agreed to purchase 24,000 Volvo XC90 SUVs between 2019 and 2021 in an effort to expand its self-driving fleet.
According to Bloomberg News, the ride-hailing service will install its own sensors and software after taking delivery of the vehicles.
The deal is valued at $1.4 billion, the Financial Times reported.
"This new agreement puts us on a path toward mass-produced, self-driving vehicles at scale," Uber's head of auto alliances, Jeff Miller told Bloomberg News. "The more people working on the problem, we'll get there faster and with better, safer, more reliable systems."
Tech Crunch points out that Uber is already piloting driverless XC90s in Arizona, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. However, the future XC90s will differ from the ones currently being tested in that they won't require a human safety driver onboard.
The number of orders could change also depending on Uber's needs.
Monday's announcement comes just weeks after Google parent Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo autonomous car unit revealed plans to begin testing self-driving technology without a human safety driver in Arizona.
While a majority of travelers remain unsure of self-driving technology, most are confident that traveling via driverless car will be safe some day.
Uber also announced new tools to improve the pick-up process, including a live location feature and special windshield colors, according to CNN.
"The rendezvous point between rider and driver is one of the most stress-inducing parts [of the trip]. Often times you're on the street, it might be cold, you're looking around. It could be dark," Uber product lead Nundu Janakiram told CNN Tech. "Riders kept telling us that they were basically trying to verbally [describe] their GPS point."
The company said its beacon technology will be available in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco.
The new tools arrive on the heels of a highly anticipated tipping feature and the ability to add multiple stops to a single trip.
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