The partnership could be a significant boost for Cruise, which was forced to stop operating in California after one of its vehicles dragged and pinned a pedestrian last year.
GM-owned Cruise has been given a lifeline by Uber, opening a new avenue to restore trust in its troubled self-driving business.
The two companies have announced a “multiyear strategic partnership” which will see Cruise robotaxis made available on the Uber app next year. This deal will see multiple Cruise vehicles made available for Uber users.
Once this partnership is launched, uber app users may be presented with the option to have a trip fulfilled by a Cruise autonomous vehicle instead of a regular Uber vehicle. The companies did not specify how many vehicles will be available or which cities the offer will be available in at launch.
The deal comes after Cruise saw its robotaxi services take a major hit in the US after one of its vehicles dragged and pinned down a hit-and-run victim in San Francisco last October.
The company’s expansion plans ground to a halt as a result of this incident and Cruise had its driverless taxi permit suspended in the US state of California. Cruise also cut a significant amount of staff and said it would focus on enhancing its safety standards before scaling up its operations.
Cruise says it resumed operations in June 2024 in three US cities – Phoenix, Houston and Dallas – along with “ongoing testing in Dubai”.
“Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” said Cruise CEO Marc Whitten. “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.”
Uber attempted its own autonomous vehicle programme, but these ambitions ended after one of its vehicles hit and killed Elaine Herzberg in 2018. The test driver behind the wheel of the vehicle pleaded guilty to endangerment last year.
Since then, Uber has focused on making deals with other companies in the self-driving sector, including Alphabet-owned Waymo.
“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.”
Challenges remain for Cruise however, as it recently had to recall nearly 1,200 of its robotaxis to resolve an investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company is also being investigated by various US organisations including the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission over the incident in October 2023.
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