General Motors’ Cruise has received the first-ever Driverless Deployment Permit granted by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), allowing the self-driving car service to start charging fares for the driverless rides it provides to members of the public in San Francisco, California. “This means that Cruise will be the first and only company to operate a commercial, driverless ride-hail service in a major US city,” said Gil West, COO, in a recent blog post.
“With this approval, we’ll begin rolling out fared rides gradually, expanding in alignment with the smoothest customer experience possible. As always, our focus is on delivering a magical and safe service for our riders,” he continued. “We’re grateful to the CPUC for their thoughtful review and approval of our application, and we’ll continue our close coordination with regulators and community stakeholders as we expand our service and improve our product. Collaborating closely with the communities we serve will only become more important as we continue to deploy this transformative technology.”