Cruise Plans Robotaxi Return to Bay Area

Nearly a year after a tragic incident involving one of its driverless vehicles, Cruise is planning a return to the Bay Area. The company announced in a social media post that it is deploying several manually driven mapping vehicles in Sunnyvale and Mountain View. The objective is to advance to supervised testing with five autonomous vehicles later this fall.

The company stated that resuming testing in the Bay Area is a crucial step as it continues to collaborate closely with California regulators and local stakeholders. This initiative is expected to allow local employees to interact directly with the product, refining and improving the technology through research and development.

Previously, driverless Cruise vehicles were commonly seen on the streets of San Francisco. However, they were removed following an incident on October 2nd of the previous year. In this incident, a hit-and-run driver struck a woman, causing her to fall into the path of a Cruise robotaxi. The autonomous vehicle also collided with the woman and subsequently moved to the side of the road with the victim trapped underneath.

In the incident’s immediate aftermath, the California DMV accused Cruise of withholding critical information, such as the fact that the vehicle dragged the victim. As a consequence, the DMV suspended Cruise’s permit to carry passengers.

Cruise responded by grounding its fleet nationwide and undergoing a thorough internal reorganization. This included a complete overhaul of the leadership team and the departure of CEO Kyle Vogt. Approximately 20 percent of the company’s employees were laid off, and Cruise was later fined $112,500 by the California Public Utilities Commission.

Since then, Cruise has resumed testing in several cities, including Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas. The company also abandoned plans for a purpose-built autonomous shuttle called the Origin. General Motors, Cruise’s parent company, reaffirmed its commitment to the project by investing $850 million into the company’s operational costs.

Returning to the Bay Area, the site of the initial incident, poses a significant risk for Cruise. However, to compete with its main rival, Waymo, Cruise needs to reestablish its presence where both companies have significant stakes.

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