GM Cruise Launches Fully Driverless Taxi Testing in San Francisco
GM's Cruise division begins testing fully driverless robotaxi rides in San Francisco, currently limited to company employees. The service operates under strict nighttime and weather conditions as the company works toward commercial deployment.
GM's Cruise division officially launches fully driverless taxi rides in San Francisco, with co-founder Kyle Vogt taking the inaugural trip in a vehicle nicknamed "Sourdough." The company deploys its fleet of Cruise Bolt electric vehicles to roam the city streets and wait for ride requests through the Cruise app. Multiple employees participate in these back-to-back rides to help test and refine the overall customer experience.
The driverless testing operates under a strict permit from the California DMV that limits rides to the hours between 10 PM and 6 AM. Vehicles travel at a maximum speed of 30 MPH and only run in mild weather conditions, meaning no heavy rain or dense fog. While the permit technically allows Cruise to offer free rides to the general public, the company keeps this initial phase strictly limited to its own workforce.
Cruise still needs to secure a final permit from the California Public Utilities Commission before it can charge passengers for ride-hailing services. This milestone follows GM's recent introduction of its "Ultra Cruise" system for passenger vehicles, which promises hands-free driving in 95 percent of all driving scenarios. With 10 million miles of testing already completed, Cruise takes a major step toward launching the first commercial autonomous ride-hailing product in a dense urban environment.