Uber will stop developing self-driving trucks, the ride-hailing company said on Monday, seeking to focus its autonomous-vehicle technology solely on cars.

Through its acquisition of Otto in 2016, Uber had sought to disrupt freight hauling with self-driving trucks and Uber Freight, its smartphone app that connects truck drivers and shippers.

Uber Freight, which has seen "rapid" growth, is unaffected by the decision, the company said.

Uber had unveiled plans earlier this year to integrate manual trucking with self-driving trucks by deploying the former for short hauls and the latter for longer distances.

"We believe having our entire team's energy and expertise focused on (self-driving cars) is the best path forward," Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber Advanced Technologies Group, said in a statement.

Uber said it will move employees working on self-driving trucks to other internal roles within autonomous vehicle development.