In a bid to revive its autonomous vehicle program, General Motors’ self-driving car unit, Cruise, is gearing up to recommence testing its robotaxis on public roads in the coming weeks, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. However, the resumption would include safety drivers and initially take place in select cities such as Houston and Dallas.
Cruise halted its U.S. operations back in October following an incident in San Francisco, where one of its robotaxis was involved in an accident that resulted in a pedestrian being struck by another vehicle.
Sara Autio, spokesperson for Cruise, emphasized in a statement to TechGenez that while the company has not yet set a definitive timeline for deployment, their aim is to relaunch in one city with manually driven vehicles under supervised testing conditions. Autio further noted that Cruise is actively engaged in rebuilding trust with regulators and the public, with ongoing discussions with officials in potential test markets.
According to reports from TechGenez, Cruise is contemplating a phased relaunch strategy, with Houston and Dallas under consideration as the initial locations for testing. The proposed plan involves deploying as few as 10 cars in each city, with no passengers onboard during the testing phase.
The decision to resume testing comes amid growing calls for stricter regulation of autonomous vehicles, particularly in the wake of recent accidents involving self-driving taxis from major players like GM’s Cruise and Alphabet’s Waymo.
Cruise disclosed in January that both the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission were conducting investigations into the October accident involving its robotaxi. This scrutiny underscores the heightened regulatory and safety concerns surrounding the deployment of autonomous vehicle technology.
As Cruise navigates the complex landscape of autonomous vehicle development, the company faces significant challenges in rebuilding trust and addressing regulatory scrutiny while striving to advance the capabilities of its self-driving technology.