General Motors’ Cruise unit is seeking permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test its autonomous vehicles across the state, with plans to expand beyond San Francisco to other cities like Los Angeles.
For the past two years, Cruise has been testing its autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco. The company’s spokesperson, Drew Pusateri, stated that the application doesn’t represent any immediate changes to its testing or operations, but Cruise aims to continue working with the California DMV to safely and responsibly test its services in other cities in the future.
If granted, the test permit will only allow Cruise to carry non-employee passengers within San Francisco. However, the company could test its services statewide with employees at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.
Apart from San Francisco, Cruise has been testing autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles in central Austin, Texas, and parts of Phoenix, carrying employees, friends, and family members. Despite reports that its autonomous robotaxis can unexpectedly come to a halt, potentially stranding passengers, Cruise claims to have driven 1 million autonomous miles without causing any life-threatening injuries or deaths.
The investigation by US safety regulators hasn’t deterred Cruise from expanding its operations, and the company is fully cooperating in the probe. As Cruise moves towards autonomous ride-hailing services, it remains to be seen how it will navigate regulatory scrutiny while ensuring passenger safety.
