The Cruise robotaxi fleet has been inactive for a while after being suspended, which was due to an incident that led to the hospitalization of a civilian. Likely to keep the vehicle line profitable, General Motors is bringing the taxis back out.
Cruise Robotaxis with Drivers
General Motors is arguably still recovering from the PR nightmare that is the Cruise robotaxis, but the automaker is not giving up on that business just yet. Since it's the driverless aspect that dragged the ride-hailing business' reputation through the mud, the company will be removing that factor.
This time around, the Cruise taxis will be manned by human drivers, although that won't be the permanent situation for the business. It will proceed to "supervised autonomous driving with a safety driver behind the wheel in the coming weeks," as mentioned in Engadget.
Operations will begin in Houston, and if all goes well, the company will likely expand to other cities. General Motors already plans to invest $850 million into the company, as mentioned by General Motors CFO Paul Jacobson, which means that the expansion is bound to happen.
It makes the most sense business-wise to not let the Cruise robotaxis remain idle, considering that General Motors has been losing money because of it. With the taxis able to function with human drivers, it's the best option to get the company to generate revenue again.
What Happened to Cruise?
The automated ride-hailing service was already responsible for a few minor incidents before it was eventually suspended, and it was already receiving a lot of backlash from both the public and regulators, but one vehicle dragging a pedestrian became the last straw.
The woman in question was first hit by a human driver in a hit-and-run incident, which led to her being thrown in the path of the robotaxi. Failing to identify her as an "obstacle," the woman was dragged for 20 feet before the vehicle stopped.
She was pinned under the tire and had to be rescued by the local fire department using the jaws of life. She was driven to the hospital with extensive injuries, with some reports saying they were bad enough to be life-threatening.
The reason why the robotaxi continued to drive despite hitting the pedestrian was because it intended to pull over. The vehicle did so at a speed of 7 mph, although the speed does not matter as the woman was dragged regardless.
It wasn't long until the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended the company's permit, effectively ceasing operations. Around May, it was also reported that the company had to settle with the victim and pay for damages.
As mentioned in The San Francisco Standard, the settlement was between $8 million to $12 million. The woman was discharged from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital after recovering from a critical condition.
A company spokesperson said: "The hearts of all Cruise employees continue to be with the pedestrian, and we hope for her continued recovery." General Motors cut Cruise's budget by $1 billion after the incident and has lost more than $9 billion since the acquisition in 2016.
