Now Cruise is being forced to slam on the brakes on its California operations after the DMV concluded its robotaxis posed “an unreasonable risk to public safety,” according to a statement issued by the agency.
The DMV didn't elaborate on the specific reasons for the suspension, but the move comes after a series of incidents that heightened concerns about the hazards and inconveniences caused by Cruise's robotaxis. The worries reached a new level earlier this month afterwho had been hit by another vehicle driven by a human, and then pinned the pedestrian under one of its tires after coming to a stop., Cruise confirmed it has ceased its robotaxi operations in San Francisco.
While Cruise has been sidelined in San Francisco, another robotaxi operated by Waymo is continuing to give rides throughout the city. Waymo, which began as as secret project within Google more than a decade ago, has been running another robotaxi service in Phoenix for the past three years.
“As Cruise continues to push the boundaries and what AV technology can deliver to society, safety is always at the forefront and this is something they are continuously improving,” Barra said. But Cruise's robotaxis appeared to be heading in the wrong direction even before Tuesday's abrupt suspension. After a pod of the vehicles came to an abrupt stop and blocked traffic on a Friday night in a popular San Francisco neighborhood less than 48 hours after they received approval to expand operations in the city, civic leaders initiated a move to revoke their permit.