Cruise, a subsidiary under the umbrella of General Motors, has revealed its intention to scale down its robotaxi fleet in San Francisco by 50%. This decision follows a series of incidents involving its self-driving vehicles, resulting in crashes. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) communicated this development to CNBC. These crashes included instances where Cruise's autonomous cars encountered issues at intersections, culminating in a collision with a fire truck on a Thursday evening.
This reduction marks a setback for Cruise, especially considering its recent launch of a paid robotaxi service in San Francisco. This service expansion was made possible after receiving approval from the DMV and Alphabet's Waymo to extend driverless operations and provide round-the-clock service to fare-paying passengers across the city. Cruise's present operations rely on a waiting list, but the recent spate of accidents has given rise to concerns among local residents and has ignited a discourse concerning the safety and implications of autonomous vehicles in the San Francisco area.
Critics contend that self-driving cars pose risks and impede emergency responders, while advocates assert that these vehicles are a source of innovation and will contribute to more economical and convenient urban transportation. Presently, the DMV is in the midst of investigating the recent incidents involving Cruise's vehicles and has directed the company to promptly reduce its active fleet by 50% until the investigation concludes and suitable measures are taken to enhance road safety.
Cruise has concurred with the reduction and will now operate no more than 50 autonomous vehicles during daylight hours and a maximum of 150 during the evening. Prior to this, the company had reported deploying 300 vehicles at night and 100 during the day. In a blog post, Cruise's San Francisco general manager, Greg Dietrerich, addressed the recent fire truck collision, attributing it to various factors including obstructed visibility due to buildings at the intersection. He also mentioned that the fire truck had deviated from its lane to bypass a red light.
In the past week, Cruise's fleet has been involved in a series of incidents that have captured media attention. In addition to the fire truck collision, one of Cruise's vehicles reportedly became stuck in concrete, while another self-driving vehicle with a passenger was struck by a driver who disregarded a red light. During the previous weekend, a cluster of Cruise vehicles experienced stalls, leading to traffic congestion outside an open-air music festival.
Cruise and the DMV are collaboratively addressing these challenges with the aim of enhancing the safety of autonomous vehicles on San Francisco's streets. The outcome of the ongoing investigation and the subsequent actions undertaken by Cruise will play a pivotal role in determining the trajectory of self-driving cars within the city.