Cruise blues: Robotaxi firm pauses all driverless operations

Robotaxi usability Cruise's bad week conscionable keeps getting worse: Now nan GM-backed business has paused driverless operations crossed nan full fleet.

Cruise's latest information maneuver comes conscionable days aft California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended nan company's self-driving conveyance license, and a small much than a week since nan US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a probe into a brace of pedestrian collisions.

"The astir important point for america correct now is to return steps to rebuild nationalist trust," Cruise said successful a post to X precocious yesterday. "In that spirit, we person decided to proactively region driverless operations crossed each of our fleets while we return clip to analyse our processes, systems, and devices and bespeak connected really we tin amended run successful a measurement that will gain nationalist trust."

Cruise won't beryllium leaving nan roads entirely, moreover successful California wherever it mislaid its self-driving permit. "Supervised AV operations will continue," Cruise said without providing a timeline aliases specifications astir what it planned to do to reside information concerns.

Along pinch operating successful San Francisco, wherever it was forced by nan California DMV successful August to cut its fleet successful half aft "recent concerning incidents," Cruise besides operates successful Phoenix, AZ, Austin and Houston, some successful Texas.

California's revocation of Cruise's driverless licence was made owed to nationalist information concerns, pinch nan DMV describing driverless Cruise taxis arsenic "not safe for nan public's operation." The CA DMV besides accused Cruise of misrepresenting capabilities and information information of its vehicles to regulators.

• Human knocks down female successful hit-and-run. Then driverless Cruise car parks connected apical of her
• Cruise self-driving taxi gets wheels stuck successful bedewed cement
• San Francisco fog defeats battalion of Waymo robo-taxis
• Cruise emits package hole aft self-driving car slams into bus

The determination to region driverless operations came connected nan eve of an NHTSA deadline [PDF] for Cruise to move complete video footage of nan pedestrian accidents nan agency is investigating.

The NHTSA declined to remark connected Cruise's determination to region driverless operations, but did telephone our attraction to another investigation it launched successful December into "inappropriately difficult braking" and sudden stoppages, unrelated problems yet ones that nan NHTSA said "each consequence successful nan Cruise vehicles becoming unexpected roadway obstacles."

"NHTSA has been notified of aggregate reports involving Cruise ADS equipped vehicles, operating without onboard quality supervision, becoming immobilized," NHTSA said. This is successful summation to 3 reports of abrupt braking "in consequence to different roadworthy personification that was quickly approaching from nan rear" resulting successful nan Cruise conveyance being rear-ended. Safety drivers were onboard successful nan rear collision cases, NHTSA said. 

Regulators person besides asked Cruise for much accusation successful nan abrupt braking investigation pinch a deadline of November 3. "We invited NHTSA's questions related to our information grounds and operations. We person cooperated pinch each of their requests to day arsenic portion of nan ongoing investigation process and will proceed doing so," Cruise told america erstwhile asked astir nan NHTSA's deadlines. ®