One of the United States's premier robotaxi services has suspended services nationwide after having its permit pulled in California over an accident.
Cruise, General Motors's robotaxi startup, announced on Thursday night that it would "proactively pause" its fleet of driverless vehicles while it takes time to examine its software, hardware, and tools in order to ensure the product is safe. The announcement comes days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it was investigating Cruise after multiple reports of pedestrian injuries involving the vehicles.
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The California Department of Motor Vehicles this week suspended the company's robotaxi permit, saying that its vehicles were not safe for the public and that the company had misrepresented the circumstances of an accident in San Francisco, where it had been running driverless taxis.
"The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust," Cruise posted. "Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult."
(1/3) The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust. Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult.
— cruise (@Cruise) October 27, 2023
The California Public Utilities Commission announced on Aug. 10 that it was authorizing autonomous companies such as Cruise and Waymo to begin expanding their fleet of vehicles. With the expansion came several new vehicles to the streets.
At least three crashes were reported in the days after the vote. A fire engine struck one of Cruise's vehicles as it entered an intersection on Thursday while the emergency vehicle was rushing to a scene. A second was hit on Friday while another car ran through a red light, and a third drove into wet concrete in a construction area and ended up stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge.
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In another incident, nearly a dozen Cruise vehicles disrupted traffic during a San Francisco music festival.
Cruise previously operated its fleets in Austin, Phoenix, and Houston. It was also conducting autonomous driving tests across other urban areas such as Miami, San Francisco, and Dallas, hoping eventually to expand to Seattle and Washington, D.C.