Uber is granted patent for light-up sign on roof of cars
Uber has been granted the patent for a roof or dashboard-mounted light that informs customers when their ride is approaching. The light is being tested in Nashville, Miami and Denver in the US, and Newcastle in the UK. However, Transport for London, the city's transport regulator, has warned Uber both lights would be illegal under existing legislation. The ride-hailing service said it had no plans to roll out the lights in the city.

Uber has patented a light to go on top of cars that can signal to customers when their ride is arriving.

Uber

The patent was first filed in May 2014, but it was granted to Uber only on Tuesday. It describes a light bar that sits on top of Uber cars, with a colour-changing section that can be controlled by the passenger's app. The patent also describes how the entire bar could light up and passengers could select different patterns.

Uber is testing a dashboard-mounted colour-changing light in three US cities — Miami, Denver, and Nashville, Tennessee — and in Newcastle in the UK.

Uber

The dashboard light works in a similar way to Uber's patented light bar. Passengers select the colour on their phones, and the light changes to whichever option they select.

But don't expect to see Uber's dashboard light or an eventual light bar on the streets of London anytime soon. Transport for London, the London transport regulator, says that neither the dashboard light nor the roof-mounted version would be allowed under existing legislation. Uber told Business Insider it had no plans to launch the lights in London.

See Uber's full patent below: