Cruise Abruptly Pulls Its Robotaxis After California Says They’re ‘Not Safe’

GM-owned Cruise suspended its driverless taxis, the company said in a post on X, formerly called Twitter. This comes after the California DMV’s temporary ban on Cruise robotaxis earlier this week. Cruise says it’s working to “rebuild public trust” and will examine its operational processes and systems.

The suspension will affect Cruise’s driverless operations, a Cruise spokesperson told Gizmodo, adding that its supervised AV operations – vehicles operated by a human driver – will continue.

“Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult,” the company posted on X.

(1/3) The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust. Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult.

— cruise (@Cruise) October 27, 2023

Cruise claimed the suspension isn’t related to on-road incidents saying, “We think it’s the right thing to do during a period when we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety, & taking steps to rebuild public trust.”

The Cruise spokesperson did not confirm whether it suspended its driverless vehicles because of the DMV’s decision for its San Francisco operations, reiterating that the decision is for public trust. It is to reflect on the way Cruise operates and how to better the process, she said.

The spokesperson also did not answer Gizmodo’s question about when Cruise expects to get its robotaxis back on the road.

“As we’ve always said, safety is our guiding light,” the spokesperson said. “We will make a determination of timeline following an evaluation of processes, systems, and tools.”

The California DMV suspended the robotaxis from San Francisco roadways on Tuesday, saying the driverless vehicles “are not safe for the public’s operation,” and pose an “unreasonable risk to the public.” The DMV added that it won’t lift the suspension “until the company has fulfilled the requirements to the department’s satisfaction.”

Early on Thursday, U.S. auto safety officials said Cruise is under investigation for five reports of its driverless cars inappropriately braking, resulting in collisions.

“We welcome NHTSA’s questions related to our safety record and operations,” a Cruise spokesperson said in a statement to Automotive News. “We have cooperated with each of their requests to date as part of the ongoing investigation process and will continue doing so.”

Cruise is required to respond to the NHTSA’s request for video footage and additional detailed information about the crash reports by Nov. 3. If Cruise does not respond, it could face up to $132 million in civil penalties.