General Motors‘ autonomous driving unit Cruise has just announced plans to relaunch its robotaxi testing in Arizona, but this time, with a human driver behind the wheels.
It is one of the setbacks caused by an accident with one of its robotaxis in October last year, which severely injured a woman pedestrian in California.
GM resumes Cruise robotaxi testing with human operators
According to the press release, Cruise aims to resume its driverless robotaxi operations in the US. Before that, the company will first launch a human-operated testing using its robotaxis in Arizona.
Cruise expects this human-operated testing to generate maps and collect road information in select cities, starting in Phoenix.
Cruise robotaxis will deploy human-driven cars without activating any autonomous systems. It is apparently a critical step for the company to validate its autonomous driving technology as it strives to resume driverless operations.
“Looking to the next chapter, our goal is to resume driverless operations. As we continue working to rebuild trust and determine the city where we will scale driverless, we also remain focused on continuing to improve our performance and overall safety approach.”
Cruise
Cruise’s mishap
Cruise discontinued its robotaxi operations in October 2023 after the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended its permit to operate in San Francisco.
It is one of the consequences Cruise had to face after one of its robotaxis hit a pedestrian in October last year. In retrospect, the involved Cruise robotaxi reportedly hit, dragged, and pinned the victim, who had been initially hit by another human-driven car.
Since then, Cruise has suffered from a series of crises, including the departure of several executives, major layoffs, and ongoing probe by state and federal regulators.
Moving forward
With the commencement of Cruise’s human-operated testing in Pheonix, the company seeks to reestablish trust with US regulators and communities under its coverage.
Once the company proves the safety and reliability of its self-driving cars, it will once again deploy its driverless taxis in the country.
“We’ve made significant progress, guided by new company leadership, recommendations from third-party experts, and a focus on a close partnership with the communities in which our vehicles operate. We are committed to this improvement as a continuous effort.”
Cruise
Cruise’s recent decision appears to be a calculated move towards revamping confidence in its self-driving systems. However, it also emphasizes the necessity of rigorous testing and validation prior to resuming fully autonomous operations. It is indeed crucial to closely follow Cruise’s progress in this venture and observe how they address the concerns and guarantee the safety of their technology.
