California DMV Clears Cruise and Waymo to Charge for Driverless Services
California regulators grant Cruise and Waymo deployment permits to charge for autonomous vehicle services, bringing commercial robotaxis closer to reality. Both companies still need a separate commission approval before launching paid ride-hailing.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles gives General Motors-backed Cruise and Alphabet-owned Waymo the green light to charge for autonomous services. Cruise receives a driverless deployment permit that allows the company to accept payment for rides without a safety operator in the front seat. Meanwhile, Waymo obtains a drivered deployment permit that permits the company to collect fares while a human driver remains behind the wheel.
Despite this major regulatory milestone, neither company immediately launches a commercial robotaxi service. To legally charge passengers for ride-hailing, both businesses still require a separate permit from the California Public Utilities Commission. Cruise currently provides free driverless rides to its employees, while Waymo offers free rides to San Franciscans through its Trusted Tester program with a safety driver present.
The new permits place strict operational boundaries on both fleets. Cruise operates its driverless Chevy Bolt vehicles in specific parts of San Francisco between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. Waymo operates its Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in parts of San Francisco and San Mateo counties at speeds up to 65 miles per hour with no time restrictions, though both companies are authorized to drive in rain and light fog.