Cruise Secures First California Permit for Driverless Passenger Rides
GM-backed Cruise earns the initial California permit to transport passengers in fully driverless vehicles, though it cannot yet charge for the service.
GM-backed autonomous vehicle company Cruise secures a groundbreaking permit from the California Public Utilities Commission that allows it to transport passengers without a human safety operator behind the wheel. This milestone makes Cruise the first company to obtain this specific driverless testing permit, marking a significant step forward in the state's regulatory landscape for self-driving technology.
Despite this achievement, Cruise does not yet operate a commercial robotaxi service because the new permit strictly prohibits the company from charging passengers for rides. To launch a full commercial service that generates revenue, Cruise must still acquire deployment permits from both the CPUC and the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
The California autonomous vehicle regulatory framework requires companies to navigate a complex series of approvals across two separate state agencies. While several companies hold various testing and driverless permits from the DMV, and others hold drivered passenger permits from the CPUC, Cruise currently stands alone as the only organization to hold the CPUC's driverless passenger permit.