General Motors commercial driverless ride-hailing service has been launched in San Francisco. IoT World Today reported that the service, dubbed Cruise, is the first “robotaxi” to charge fares in a major U.S. city.
Cruise, the GM subsidiary, announced in a tweet on June 23: “As of last night, fared rides are now rolling out to our customers in SF. If you’re waiting to take your first driverless ride, we’re inviting more people into our AVs [autonomous vehicles] each week, so sit tight— it’ll be worth it!”
IoT World Today reported that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) awarded Cruise a driverless deployment permit in early June. Restrictions for the robotaxi, a Chevrolet Bolt, include maximum speeds of 30 mph with drive times only allowed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when traffic is light. According to the CPUC permit, vehicles are not allowed in certain areas like near “any active heavy rail crossings or streets with light rail transit.”
The cost of a robotaxi ride? A spokesperson for Cruise noted that a 1.3-mile trip would run $0.90 per mile and $0.40 per minute, plus a $5 base fee and 1.5 percent city tax, for a total of $8.72. Cruise account holders (riders) are allowed to bring a guest, which was restricted previously.
Cruise also announced via Twitter that their ‘Cruise – Driverless Rides’ iOS app is available in Apple’s App Store. IoT World Today reported that Cruise’s other services in the city would be unaffected, continuing to offer daytime rides in AVs (with human safety operators).
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