The California Department of Motor Vehicles has banned Cruise from operating its driverless taxis in San Francisco, effective immediately, for allegedly withholding footage of a serious accident involving one of the company’s robot taxis.
The incident was the first AV-involved accident in San Francisco to result in serious injuries. It occurred after a human driver collided with a woman crossing Market Street, throwing her into the path of a neighboring Cruise taxi before she ran away. Authorities have not yet arrested the suspected human driver responsible for the accident.
Cruise’s handling of the Oct. 2 crash was the catalyst for his suspension by state regulators, according to the DMV’s suspension order, first reported by Vice.
In that document, the DMV claimed that Cruise representatives initially did not show the full onboard camera footage from the robotaxis involved in the crash. Footage the company provided to DMV investigators and journalists covering the incident showed the Cruise robotaxi braking sharply after colliding with the pedestrian.
However, later footage obtained by the DMV from Cruise after learning of its existence from another government agency shows that the robaxi then performed a “stall maneuver.”
Attempting to stop after a collision with a pedestrian, according to the DMV, indicates that Cruise’s vehicles may not be able to respond safely and appropriately to incidents involving a pedestrian so as not to unnecessarily endanger the pedestrian or others further Injury.”
A Cruise spokesman said the company showed DMV investigators the full video of the incident “several times” when the two parties met on Oct. 3, the day after the crash. “They later requested a copy of the full video, which we provided to them,” the spokesperson said.
The suspension means Cruise will not be able to use its robotaxis without the presence of a human driver, either for free or for paid rides. The company is still allowed to test its technology with a safety driver.
Cruise and Waymo both received regulatory approval in August to operate their robotaxis commercially 24/7 in San Francisco. However, the DMV ordered Cruise to reduce its fleet half a week after the approved expansion as it investigated several recent accidents involving Cruise robotaxis.
The DMV said the San Francisco-based company also “misrepresented” information to regulators about the safety of its vehicles’ driverless technology.
The suspension comes weeks after a driverless cruise taxi was involved in an accident on a crosswalk at Fifth and Market streets in downtown San Francisco, resulting in serious injuries.
The incident was the first AV-involved accident in San Francisco to result in serious injuries. It occurred after a human driver collided with a woman crossing Market Street, throwing her into the path of a neighboring Cruise taxi before she ran away. Authorities have not arrested any suspects in the crash.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles has suspended General Motors-owned Cruise’s license to operate driverless rides in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The DMV did not say what impact the Oct. 2 crash had on its investigation. Cruise confirmed in a statement Tuesday morning that it will cease driverless operations in San Francisco.
“Ultimately, we develop and deploy autonomous vehicles to save lives,” Cruise said in the statement. “In the incident being investigated by the DMV, the pedestrian was tragically struck by a driver and thrown into the path of the AV. The AV braked sharply before impact and attempted to stop to avoid further safety issues as it detected a collision. As the AV attempted to stop, it continued driving before eventually coming to a stop and pulling the pedestrian forward.”
According to the DMV, Cruise can request a hearing within five days of the suspension to reinstate its operating permit, which allows the company to operate its driverless taxis commercially. If this were to happen, the DMV would grant a hearing within 21 days of the application.
“In order to reinstate her permits, Cruise must provide the department with information about how she addressed the deficiencies that led to the suspensions,” the DMV said in an email.
This year has been full of milestones and setbacks for the emerging autonomous vehicle industry in San Francisco, where General Motors-owned Cruise and Alphabet-owned Waymo sought to prove that their robotaxis could operate safely and profitably.
The California Public Utilities Commission’s Aug. 10 decision allowed Cruise and Waymo to charge for fully driverless rides 24 hours a day throughout San Francisco, at a time when both companies are expanding into other cities.
While the technology is flourishing elsewhere, robotaxis in San Francisco — a notoriously challenging environment for drivers, humans and robots alike — have divided residents and city officials since they ramped up driverless operations last year.
Fire officials have criticized the technology because they say the occasional erratic behavior of driverless taxis has hindered emergency response. Transportation officials say self-driving cars have disrupted public transit, traffic and construction on local roads.
A fire department spokesman told the Chronicle that in recent weeks, firefighters “have seen, in our opinion, a decrease in AV incidents because they have been ordered to have fewer on the roads.”
The DMV, which issues permits for AV companies to operate commercially in California, opened an investigation into Cruise a week after the CPUC’s decision, citing a series of collisions involving the company’s taxis.
Aaron Peskin, president of the city’s Board of Supervisors, said Cruise’s suspension was “better late than never.”
“San Francisco has long held that cruise ships were not ready for prime time and that the state should not have allowed their unlimited use in the first place,” Peskin told the Chronicle.
City officials are still pushing for the CPUC to grant a rehearing, which could reverse the commission’s decision. Such a move is unlikely to eradicate the presence of robotaxis in San Francisco, but would remove the ability of Cruise and Waymo to charge for driverless day trips. The commission in August rejected a separate request from the state attorney general to suspend enforcement of its decision pending a new hearing.
While Tuesday’s news confirmed city officials’ concerns about the performance of autonomous vehicles, the technology has been increasingly used by residents in recent months, with both companies reporting tens of thousands of users in San Francisco.
Robotaxi advocates say the city government is overly concerned with blaming driverless taxis for the disruption, and AV companies say their driverless vehicles operate largely without incident in San Francisco.
Cruise said he cooperated with regulators throughout the investigation. The company said it plans to introduce technological upgrades to its robotaxis to make them more responsive during emergencies.
Cruise operated half of its San Francisco fleet in the city – no more than 50 driverless taxis during the day and 150 vehicles at night. Due to the DMV suspension, only Waymo robotaxis are available for driverless rides in San Francisco.
The Mountain View-based company operated about 250 robotaxis before the CPUC’s decision in August. However, it is unclear whether Waymo has added vehicles to its fleet in San Francisco.
“Public safety remains the California DMV’s top priority, and the Department’s autonomous vehicle regulations provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on public roads in California,” the DMV said in its statement. “If there is a disproportionate risk to public safety, the DMV may immediately suspend or revoke permits.”
Reach Ricardo Cano: [email protected]; Twitter: @ByRicardoCano