In a recent development, Cruise, the autonomous vehicle company, has commenced trials of its self-driving cars in Atlanta, marking a significant step forward in its endeavor to launch a comprehensive robotaxi service in various urban centers. This move confirms earlier reports from TechCrunch that Atlanta would be the next city to witness Cruise’s autonomous vehicles navigating public roads.
While the company’s statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, was relatively succinct, it firmly indicated further details would follow, leaving eager observers awaiting additional information.
This announcement closely follows Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt’s revelation just a week ago that the company would be expanding its operations to Nashville, with insinuations of more cities being added to the list in the near future. Preceding the Atlanta rollout, Cruise had initiated data collection through manually operated autonomous vehicles in the streets of Los Angeles.
Next up: Atlanta! 🙌
Today we begin our initial testing across the city and we can’t wait to see what each neighborhood has to offer.
More to come soon.
— cruise (@Cruise) August 7, 2023
A spokesperson from Cruise informed TechCrunch that the ongoing activities in Atlanta constitute a crucial facet of the company’s comprehensive testing strategy. Over the upcoming weeks, Cruise will progressively commence data collection and trials in multiple cities spanning the nation.
However, it is noteworthy that the commencement of testing in these cities doesn’t necessarily equate to their subsequent incorporation into Cruise’s robotaxi service. Although indications point toward Nashville as a likely candidate for the commercial service, definitive plans for other cities remain pending.
Notably, Cruise’s self-driving vehicles are already operational on the streets of Nashville, setting the stage for an imminent commercial ride-hailing service to follow suit. While an exact launch date remains undisclosed, Cruise has emphasized its commitment to expanding its autonomous capabilities across numerous urban landscapes.
This recent flurry of expansion announcements corresponds with Cruise’s prior assertion of its goal to undertake testing and launch its robotaxi service in various new cities. A year ago, the company’s presence was solely confined to San Francisco. Since then, Cruise has broadened its reach, establishing a presence in cities such as Austin, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Nashville, and Los Angeles.
Despite these expansions, it’s important to clarify that Cruise is not yet operational on a commercial scale in all of these locales. The company adheres to a systematic approach for each rollout, typically commencing operations with test vehicles. These vehicles progressively transition away from human safety operators to become fully autonomous. The introduction of ride-hailing services follows, initially catering to employees before being extended to customers who have subscribed to the service. Service areas and operational hours usually start on a limited scale before gradually expanding over time.
