Just three months after the state gave its approval, California regulators revoked self-driving taxi service Cruise’s ability to charge and drive customers.
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Utilities Commission pulled permits that let the company operate driverless taxicabs. The DMV announced its decision Tuesday, and the commission followed soon after.
The DMV’s move to revoke Cruise’s operating permit comes after a complicated investigation. The agency originally opened a probe into the company this month after a viral video showed a pedestrian hit by a car and flung into the path of a Cruise vehicle that failed to stop in time. The automated vehicle proceeded to drag the pedestrian 20 feet at 7 mph.
According to the DMV, Cruise failed to provide the entire video of the incident. The video from the company reportedly showed only the Cruise vehicle trying to stop before hitting the pedestrian. The part featuring the vehicle dragging the pedestrian was left out.
After being alerted that part of the video was missing, the DMV requested the company provide the full video and received it on Oct. 13, the agency said.
Federal regulators are getting in on the action as well. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently opened a probe into several Cruise-related incidents, including where remote vehicles blocked emergency vehicles.
The revocation comes three months after California regulators began letting the company charge customers for the service in San Francisco. Both agencies received significant pushback from residents concerned about passenger safety and traffic congestion.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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