Autonomous cruise vehicles return to Houston and Dallas

Self-driving car company Cruise began test drives in Houston on Tuesday as the company works to restart driverless vehicle operations after a seven-month hiatus due to safety concerns.

On-road manual driving tests have resumed in Pheonix, Houston and Dallas to “create maps and collect road information,” according to the company’s website. Cruise officials said the company would begin the reintroduction process with human-driven vehicles transitioning to supervised autonomous driving, with a safety driver present at the wheel.

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“Houston, we missed you! Today we hit the road again in Houston where we’ll build on the knowledge we’ve gathered over the last year,” Cruise posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

General Motors, owner of Cruise, is investing $850 million to help fund improvements in autonomous vehicle technology, GM Chief Financial Officer Paul A. Jacobson announced.

“As Cruise continues to make positive progress toward returning to driverless operations with manual and supervised testing underway in Phoenix, Dallas and now Houston, we appreciate GM’s continued support in our shared mission to transform mobility and to improve road safety,” a Cruise spokesperson said. A declaration.

AV technology has artificial intelligence that makes real-time predictions using data from intersections, construction zones and traffic signs. The vehicles are equipped with sensors and cameras offering a 360° view.

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Robot taxis were first approved for 24-hour operation in San Francisco in August 2023, the Associated Press reported. The company began operating a fleet of Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles last year in Austin, Phoenix and then Houston.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation last year after several reports of vehicles posing potential risks to pedestrians. The office received two reports involving pedestrian injuries and identified two additional incidents from videos posted on public websites, according to the AP.

In California, a robo-taxi ran over a pedestrian who had been hit by another vehicle driven by a human. The taxi trapped the pedestrian under the tire after stopping and pulled him about 20 feet as the car tried to leave the road, the AP reported.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles suspended the company’s license in late October, accusing the company of concealing footage of the crash.

Cruise halted its robotaxi services nationwide, including in Houston, and commissioned a third-party report. The report contained several recommendations aimed at improving operations and technology.

The company released a statement in March promising to “continuously and systematically strengthen our safety culture through high standards, transparent communication and deep partnership with the communities we serve.”

Cruise representatives noted a series of recent internal changes, including new leadership and the implementation of recommendations outlined in the third-party report.=

Supervised autonomous driving is expected to begin in Phoenix, according to the company’s May 13 release. It would then expand to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert and Chandler, based on predetermined safety criteria.