Cruise, the driverless car company owned by General Motors, is preparing to resume robotaxis operations in Phoenix, Arizona. This is a crucial step before resuming service nationwide following the grounding of the taxi fleet after a pedestrian in San Francisco in October was dragged under one of the vehicles.
Sources familiar with Cruise told Bloomberg that the company is planning to announce the resumption of robotaxi service in Phoenix sometime on Tuesday. They said Cruise officials have been talking with government leaders in dozens of US cities before the planned restart.
"We are in the process of meeting with officials in select markets to gather information, share updates and rebuild trust," Cruise spokesman Pat Morrissey wrote in an emailed statement, adding there was no timeline on when operations would begin.
What led to Cruise's nationwide grounding of robotaxis was an October incident when one of the vehicles ran over a pedestrian in San Francisco. California regulators immediately investigated the incident and found that the company withheld key video and details, which resulted in the suspension of Cruise's license in California. Shortly after, Cruise suspended all operations nationwide, reshuffled top management, and added a new chief safety officer.
Before last year's accident, the company had hundreds of robotaxis operating across San Fran, Austin, Houston, and Phoenix.
Meanwhile, crowds in downtown San Fran destroyed a Waymo self-driving car earlier this year.
BREAKING: An autonomous Waymo vehicle is intentionally set on fire in Chinatown, according to SF Fire. Firefighters said they got reports around 10 people were involved.
— Gia Vang (@Gia_Vang) February 11, 2024
Waymo said “a crowd surrounded and vandalized the vehicle, breaking the window and throwing a firework … pic.twitter.com/6QN2jTppRu
Days ago, Elon Musk wrote on X, "Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8."
