Cruise suspends self-driving robo-taxi service in Houston, nationwide
Driverless taxi service Cruise put on pause
Cruise, the self-driving robo taxi service has been put on pause. The company says they are not accepting passengers temporarily just two weeks after launching in Houston. FOX 26's Matthew Seedorff has been following the issue closely as Cruise looks to someday resume rides in Houston.
HOUSTON - Two weeks after launching services in Houston, Cruise suspended its self-driving vehicle operations nationwide.
"The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust," said Cruise in a tweet on X. "Part of this involves taking a hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult."
Cruise launched limited operations two weeks ago in Houston. Houston was the fourth city in the country to have Cruise vehicles operating following San Francisco, Austin, and Phoenix. In addition, Cruise has been testing its vehicles in 10 other cities across the United States.
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The move to pause services nationwide comes after California suspended all Cruise operations there. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into the company last week following reports of two incidents involving self-driving cars and pedestrians.
"We have decided to proactively pause driverless operations across all of our fleets while we take time to examine our processes, systems, and tools and reflect on how we can better operate in a way that will earn public trust," continued Cruise on X. "This isn't related to any new on-road incidents, and supervised AV operations will continue. We think it’s the right thing to do during a period when we need to be extra vigilant when it comes to risk, relentlessly focused on safety, & taking steps to rebuild public trust."
Taiwan Mixon, a Houston man who works as a bus driver, says he recently was a passenger in a Cruise vehicle. Mixon says he took the ride because he was curious about the technology.
"It seems like it’s going a lot of thinking," said Mixon. "You can tell it’s trying to get on track and figure out where to go."
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Right now, it’s unclear how long Cruise will have their services suspended nationwide.
"We applaud Cruise’s attention to safety and their decision to pause operations in Texas," said Jesse Bounds, Houston Director of Innovation. "Like Cruise, we look forward o a day where automated vehicles can provide safe, accessible, affordable, and sustainable transportation for all. Cruise and City staff have collaborated closely and effectively, and we will continue to do so if and when they resume operations in Houston."