The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has revoked Cruise’s authority to operate its robotaxi service and charge passengers, following a similar move by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The CPUC has also initiated its own investigation into recent incidents involving passenger service, according to Terrie Prosper, director of news and outreach at the CPUC.
Key Takeaway
The California Public Utilities Commission has suspended Cruise’s authority to operate its robotaxi service, following the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles’ suspension of Cruise’s deployment and driverless testing permits. The suspensions were prompted by Cruise withholding video footage of an incident involving a pedestrian being struck and dragged by a Cruise robotaxi. Further investigations are being conducted by the NHTSA and the CPUC, with the latter evaluating Cruise’s passenger service operations and assessing any potential violations. The reinstatement of Cruise’s permits has not been confirmed.
CPUC’s Decision and Background
Three months ago, the CPUC granted Cruise the necessary permits to charge passengers for robotaxi rides in San Francisco, after Cruise had been offering a free service in the city. However, the CPUC’s decision to suspend Cruise’s permit came in the wake of the DMV suspending Cruise’s deployment and driverless testing permits. The DMV’s suspension was prompted by Cruise withholding video footage related to an ongoing investigation.
DMV Investigation and Missing Footage
The DMV had been investigating Cruise following a series of incidents, particularly one on October 2. In this incident, a pedestrian who had been initially hit by a human-driven car was subsequently stuck under a Cruise robotaxi and dragged for 20 feet at 7 miles per hour. The DMV claims that when it requested footage of the accident from Cruise, the company only provided the initial stop of the autonomous vehicle, omitting the subsequent movement that resulted in the pedestrian being dragged. It wasn’t until another government agency alerted the DMV of the missing footage that Cruise eventually provided the full video on October 13.
In response, Cruise denied the DMV’s claims, stating that it had proactively shared information and the full video with the DMV, CPUC, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
NHTSA Investigation and CPUC’s Response
Aside from the DMV investigation, the NHTSA is also conducting its own investigation into the incident and other instances of robotaxi malfunction and collisions. In light of these ongoing investigations, the CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division is actively gathering and analyzing incident-related information from Cruise. However, the CPUC has not provided confirmation or denial of Cruise’s claim that it had shared the full video with the agency immediately after the October 2 accident.
The CPUC did not respond to inquiries regarding the reinstatement of Cruise’s permits once the DMV completes its investigation. It’s worth noting that the CPUC had faced opposition and concerns about public safety and traffic flow when it granted Cruise permission to expand its commercial service city-wide and operate 24/7. San Francisco authorities had also requested state regulators to reconsider their decision.
