Houston, Texas, may soon see Cruise robotaxis on its streets, as the company seeks to get testing again with human operators
February 23, 2024 at 19:04
General Motors’ autonomous development company, Cruise, is getting back behind the wheel, in more ways than one. The company hopes to start testing its robotaxis again, after high-profile crashes got their testing licenses revoked, and hopes to do so by putting human operators back in the driver’s seat.
The company was one of the leading lights in the American autonomous industry, having managed to secure licenses to charge riders for autonomous rides in 2023. However, after a series of incidents, and a crash in which an injured pedestrian was dragged 20 feet by one of its robotaxis, the company grounded its fleet.
Now, it’s in talks with several metro areas, among them two Texas cities, to start testing again Bloomberg cites unnamed sources, who say that Cruise will start out by testing with human operators.
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Read: GM’s Cruise Admits Mistakes As U.S. Govt Probes Dragging Accident
The company says it is working to rebuild trust with the public, as well as with regulators, after it was accused of concealing footage in the above-mentioned collision. The company said it will relaunch in one city at a time, but that it has not yet decided where it will begin.
“We have not set a timeline for deployment,” a Cruise spokesperson said. “We are in the process of meeting with officials in select markets to gather information, share updates and rebuild trust.”
Despite the company’s official position, Bloomberg’s sources said that the company is particularly interested in Houston, Texas, where regulations for autonomous vehicle testing are relatively relaxed. Testing there could begin in the coming months.
However, Cruise claims that it is taking things slowly this time around, and that it is working to improve communications with regulators. It admitted that before a large proportion of its senior staff were let go, there was an us versus them mentality with lawmakers.
