Uber To Incorporate Cruise Self-Driving Cars Into Its Fleet

Once the service commences, “When an Uber rider requests a qualifying ride on the Uber app, they may be presented with the option to have that trip fulfilled by a Cruise autonomous vehicle,” Uber said, according to BTN. This innovative offering is expected to provide a new and exciting way for passengers to experience urban transportation.

As of June 2024, Cruise has already resumed supervised autonomous driving operations in a few key cities, such as Phoenix, Houston and Dallas. According to Uber, the company has also been continuing to test its driverless technology in Dubai.

“Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” Marc Whitten, CEO of Cruise, said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Uber to bring the benefits of safe, reliable, autonomous driving to even more people, unlocking a new era of urban mobility.”

“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, “We’re thrilled to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year.”

As recently as August 22, Cruise—a division of General Motors—wrapped up a nearly two-year investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) into “hard braking” problems with its products. . The resolution involved recalling nearly 1,200 of its robotaxis to install new software designed to enhance the vehicles’ perception capabilities.

The company has been under scrutiny since October 2023, facing active investigations by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission after an incident in San Francisco in which one of its robotaxis hit and dragged a pedestrian 20 feet.

A study published in the New Scientist in June found that autonomous vehicles can be considered safer than those driven by humans, although exceptions were noted for certain lighting conditions and specific maneuvers, such as making turns.