Cruise not relaunching robotaxi service following full GM acquisition
AUSTIN, Texas - Autonomous vehicle company Cruise says it will not be relaunching its robotaxi service.
What we know:
Cruise announced the end of its ridehail service in a letter to users on Feb. 4.
This news comes after General Motors announced it completed its acquisition of full ownership of Cruise.
GM announced back in December that it reached agreements with other shareholders to increase its ownership of Cruise from 90% to 97%, then to pursue acquisition of the remaining shares.
GM said in December that it intended to "realign its autonomous driving strategy" and "no longer fund Cruise's robotaxi development work".
Cruise has been majority-owned by GM since 2016.
What's next:
GM said in a release that it plans to integrate Cruise's technology into its Super Cruise assisted driving system.
Super Cruise is a software platform that allows drivers to take their hands off the wheels on 750,000 miles of roads across North America and is available on more than 20 GM vehicle models, says the company.
GM says its customers are logging over 10 million miles per month using Super Cruise.
GM and Cruise will also focus on further developing driving assistance technology, expanding Super Cruise to urban surface streets and continuing on a path to personal autonomous vehicles, according to the auto manufacturer.
Timeline:
The autonomous vehicles were introduced to the public for ride-sharing services in 2022, including in Austin.
However, there were a number of reported stalks and a collision, according to Austin residents. Some incidents were caught on camera.
Self-driving car caught on camera in West Campus bike lane
An Austin cyclist captured on video a Cruise driverless car attempting to make a left turn, but ending up driving in the bike lane.
In January 2023, a cyclist shared with FOX 7 Austin video of a Cruise vehicle driving in the bike lane and another one driving down the middle of the road in the West Campus area. He also reported seeing about half a dozen of the cars make incorrect left turns.
In July 2023, two Cruise vehicles stalled in downtown Austin, forcing drivers to navigate around them and stopping the flow of traffic. Cruise at the time said this was a safety protocol to protect the vehicle and its passengers when the technology isn't extremely confident in how to proceed.
Driverless cars drawing safety concerns
Multiple Cruise ride share vehicles stalled in the middle of an intersection downtown Friday night, drawing concerns about the driverless ride share car's level of safety.
In September 2023, dozens of Cruise vehicles were captured on video and in photos lining a block in the West Campus area and blocking traffic.
In October 2023, Cruise announced it was suspending all its driverless vehicle operations in Texas, including Austin, and then announced a pause in all driverless operations.
The announcement came after the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended the company's robotaxi license for safety concerns. The suspension followed an incident where a Cruise car ran over a pedestrian who had been hit by another driver, and pinned the person under one of its tires.
Then in November 2023, it announced it would pause all operations and issued a voluntary software recall, as well as said it was adding a chief safety officer role.
Cruise pauses driverless operations in Texas
The company responsible for the majority of autonomous vehicles in Austin said you won't be seeing them without drivers for a while
In April 2024, Cruise said it resumed manual driving in Phoenix, Arizona, to create maps and gather road information, and then expanded that to Houston and Dallas.
In May 2024, it resumed supervised autonomous driving in Phoenix and Dallas.
In August 2024, Uber and Cruise announced a partnership to bring autonomous vehicles to the Uber rideshare platform. The project was projected to launch in 2025, but Uber has since announced it will be partnering with self-driving car company Waymo. Uber and Waymo have opened up an interest list for riders in the Uber app.
The last announcements of services on Cruise's website concerned partnerships with the Houston Food Bank in October 2024 and Numotion in December 2024.
READ THE FULL LETTER FROM CRUISE BELOW:
It is with a mix of gratitude and regret that we share some significant news: Cruise's robotaxi service is coming to an end; we unfortunately will not be relaunching our ridehail service.
For years, you’ve been an integral part of our mission to advance autonomous vehicle technology and revolutionize transportation. Whether you experienced a ride with Cruise or were eagerly awaiting your turn on the waitlist, your support inspired us to work tirelessly toward a future where self-driving cars could transform the way we move through cities.
While this chapter closes, we remain proud of what we’ve achieved together: groundbreaking technology, hundreds of thousands of rides, and a community of riders who believed in the promise of autonomous vehicles. Your trust and curiosity have played a vital role in moving autonomous technology forward—not just for Cruise, but for the industry as a whole.
Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. While Cruise robotaxis may no longer roam cities, we couldn't have done it without you, and the impact of what we’ve built together will be felt for years to come.
Sincerely,
Cruise
The Source: Information in this report comes from Cruise and General Motors and previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin