GM-Backed Cruise Seeks Final Approval for Driverless Taxis in San Francisco
Cruise submits the final permit required by California regulators to launch a fully driverless commercial robotaxi service in San Francisco. If approved, the company becomes the first to charge passengers for rides without a human safety driver behind the wheel.
General Motors-backed Cruise submits a permit application to the California Public Utilities Commission to commercialize its driverless robotaxi fleet in San Francisco. This application represents the final regulatory hurdle out of six required permits from state authorities to begin charging the public for rides. Cruise is the first company to apply for this specific deployment permit.
If regulators approve the application, Cruise becomes the first company to operate a taxi fleet without human drivers present in the vehicles. While Alphabet-backed Waymo already holds approval to charge for robotaxi rides, that company still requires a human safety driver to remain in the vehicle during trips. Currently, Cruise vehicles only operate on designated San Francisco streets between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at speeds not exceeding 30 miles per hour.
The commercialization of autonomous vehicles proves much more challenging than early industry predictions, but Cruise and Waymo remain the leading contenders in the race. The company currently uses retrofitted Chevrolet Bolt EVs equipped with cameras, radars, and lidar sensors to navigate city streets. CEO Dan Ammann expects the service to launch as early as next year, pending this final regulatory review.