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 robotaxi operations closer to reality.
California regulators grant Cruise and Waymo new deployment permits that allow the companies to charge money for their autonomous vehicle services. Cruise receives a driverless deployment permit to accept compensation for rides without a safety operator, while Waymo obtains a permit to charge for rides with a driver still in the front seat.
Despite this milestone, both companies remain one step away from launching a commercial robotaxi service. They still need a separate permit from the California Public Utilities Commission before they can officially offer paid ride-hailing to the public, and neither company provides a timeline for when that might happen.
Cruise operates its driverless Chevy Bolt fleet in specific parts of San Francisco between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at speeds up to 30 mph. Waymo uses its fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in parts of San Francisco and San Mateo counties at speeds up to 65 mph with no time restrictions, and both companies operate in rain and light fog.