Cruise resumes operations in California, thankfully with human drivers<p>Autonomous vehicle outfit Cruise is slowly returning to operation in California following an incident in which a pedestrian was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gms-cruise-is-being-investigated-by-the-doj-and-sec-following-a-pedestrian-accident-104030508.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/gms-cruise-is-being-investigated-by-the-doj-and-sec-following-a-pedestrian-accident-104030508.html">
struck and dragged[/url] by a robotaxi for approximately 20 feet in October 2023. The company <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://x.com/Cruise/status/1836812363963486286" data-original-link="
https://x.com/Cruise/status/1836812363963486286">
posted[/url] on X that it is reintroducing human-operated mapping vehicles to the streets in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Its next stated goal is "to progress to supervised testing with up to 5 AVs later this fall."</p>
<p>The past year has not been a pretty picture for Cruise, which was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:3;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/2016-03-11-gm-buys-cruise-automation-driverless-tech.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/2016-03-11-gm-buys-cruise-automation-driverless-tech.html">
acquired[/url] by GM in 2016. On October 2 last year, a pedestrian in San Francisco was hit by a human driver who fled the scene, but the impact put her in the path of a Cruise driverless taxi that dragged her 20 feet and ultimately stopped on top of her leg. After the incident, Cruise was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:4;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/california-dmv-suspends-cruises-driverless-permits-181110566.html?_fsig=Dao0C0fA4OHrGdbyF4MUkg--%7EA" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/california-dmv-suspends-cruises-driverless-permits-181110566.html?_fsig=Dao0C0fA4OHrGdbyF4MUkg--%7EA">
stripped[/url] of its license to operate autonomous vehicles in California. The company stopped all operations of both <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:5;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-puts-robotaxi-operations-on-pause-following-california-license-suspension-051300118.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-puts-robotaxi-operations-on-pause-following-california-license-suspension-051300118.html">
its driverless cars[/url] and <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-is-also-pausing-its-manned-robotaxi-rides-for-a-full-safety-review-040140791.html">
its manned robotaxi service[/url] in order to engage in a comprehensive safety review.</p>
<span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>CEO Kyle Vogt <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:7;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruises-kyle-vogt-resigns-as-ceo-of-the-robotaxi-company-041949493.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/cruises-kyle-vogt-resigns-as-ceo-of-the-robotaxi-company-041949493.html">
resigned[/url] in November, followed by the <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:8;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-co-founder-resigns-following-ceo-exit-214747271.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-co-founder-resigns-following-ceo-exit-214747271.html">
exit[/url] of co-founder and chief product officer Daniel Kan. GM <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:9;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gm-to-cut-spending-on-cruise-driverless-vehicles-by-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-170857644.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/gm-to-cut-spending-on-cruise-driverless-vehicles-by-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-170857644.html">
announced[/url] plans to slash Cruise's funding and to restructure leadership based on external safety reviews. Nine more members of Cruise leadership were <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:10;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-drops-nine-executives-in-the-midst-of-an-accident-probe-involving-its-vehicle-044408544.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-drops-nine-executives-in-the-midst-of-an-accident-probe-involving-its-vehicle-044408544.html">
dismissed[/url] in December, and nearly a quarter of the company's workforce was <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:11;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-lays-off-24-percent-of-its-workforce-164800680.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/cruise-lays-off-24-percent-of-its-workforce-164800680.html">
also cut[/url] that month. The final blow was an <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:12;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gms-cruise-is-being-investigated-by-the-doj-and-sec-following-a-pedestrian-accident-104030508.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/gms-cruise-is-being-investigated-by-the-doj-and-sec-following-a-pedestrian-accident-104030508.html">
investigation[/url] by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission in January 2024, questioning whether the company failed to disclose additional details about the accident during reviews with regulators.</p>
<p>Since then, however, Cruise has gradually been bouncing back. Vehicles with drivers returned to <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:13;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cruises-robotaxis-return-to-arizona-roads-120038794.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/cruises-robotaxis-return-to-arizona-roads-120038794.html">
Arizona[/url] in April and to <a data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:14;pos:1" class="no-affiliate-link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/general-motors-revives-its-robotaxi-service-cruise-in-houston-with-human-drivers-205002639.html" data-original-link="
https://www.engadget.com/general-motors-revives-its-robotaxi-service-cruise-in-houston-with-human-drivers-205002639.html">
Houston[/url] in June. The re-emergence in Texas was paired with an announcement that GM would invest $850 million into Cruise in support of its operational costs. Now it's rejoined the California market, if in an extremely attenuated capacity. These new excursions have all been preliminary and none of the driverless cars have returned to the streets yet. But Cruise still has a long road ahead to prove its safety credentials and win back public trust.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/transportation/cruise-resumes-operations-in-california-thankfully-with-human-drivers-191522681.html?src=rssSource:
Cruise resumes operations in California, thankfully with human drivers
