Robotaxis of a cruise park in California after obtaining a DMV permit、
The robotaxi Cruise service in San Francisco faced a serious problem on the road on Tuesday after the California Department of Transportation suspended the permit for the operation of unmanned Cruise vehicles in the state.
Cruise, which is supported by General Motors and Honda, is still allowed to test cars with safe drivers at the wheel, and the company has been notified of the steps needed to restore the permit, the DMV said in a statement.
The reasons given by the DMV for revoking the permit include information related to the safety of vehicles identified by the department as "unsafe for public use" and "vehicles misrepresented".
This step was taken after the cruise robotaxi was involved in an accident on October 1. 2 people saw a female pedestrian thrown onto the road in a robotaxi after she was hit by another car in the next lane, the driver of which fled the scene.
Cruz's Robotaxi braked sharply to avoid a collision, but still, according to Cruz, drove into a pedestrian crossing at a red light, and then came into contact with pedestrians who stopped on the road before they were hit by the first car. After the initial stop, the robotaxi tried to drive another 20 feet, but the cruise was made to avoid further road safety issues and said it would drag pedestrians in the process.
Referring to DMV documents, SFGate reported that Cruz's employees at a meeting with the DMV after the accident allegedly showed video footage from the robotaxi camera up to the first stop, and that the DMV recognized only an additional 20 feet of movement after the meeting.
Robotaxis Cruise will also operate in parts of Austin and Phoenix and will be extended to Dallas and Houston later this year. It is unclear whether the shutdown in California will affect the operation of Robotaxi Cruise in other states.
Cruise also announced last week that it plans to eventually expand its services to Japan. Service is expected to begin in downtown Tokyo by early 2026.
