Cruise, the operator of autonomous vehicles backed by General Motors, has decided to suspend its driverless car taxi service in the United States. The suspension came just two days after California regulators suspended the company’s license in the state.
In early October, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was investigating the company after receiving reports of pedestrian injuries linked to Cruise’s driverless vehicles. The most notable incident occurred in early October in San Francisco. A woman was trapped under Cruise’s robot taxi after being hit by another vehicle and thrown into the path of the autonomous vehicle.
A representative for Cruise said the company has launched an investigation and is trying to determine how it can do better in a way that earns the public’s trust. According to Cruise, the decision to suspend business is not related to new traffic accidents. “We believe this is the right thing to do at a time when we need to be extra vigilant about risk, focus relentlessly on safety and take steps to restore public trust,” the company said.
Before suspending operations, Cruise operated its driverless robot taxi services in Austin, Phoenix and Houston. The company has also conducted autonomous driving tests in other areas such as Miami, San Francisco and Dallas and plans to expand to Seattle and Washington DC.
Source: The Verge
