Earlier this month, we missed a cool milestone in the development of autonomous vehicles. GM’s autonomous vehicle division, Cruise, recently obtained California’s first permit to charge a fare for rides in driverless vehicles. This came after a review of operations by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
“We are grateful to the CPUC for their thoughtful review and approval of our application, and we will continue to work closely with regulators and community stakeholders as we expand our service and improve our product.” said the company in a press release. “Working closely with the communities we serve will only become more important as we continue to deploy this transformative technology.”
However, if you live in a city with Cruise cars, do not expect to get a ride back home from the bar this weekend. For one, the company is only going to offer driverless rides for a fee in San Francisco for now. They want to gradually expand operations and not try to go for full-scale operations at the same time, which is a good idea given the challenges they are likely to face and to which they have to adapt.
“Crossing the threshold to commercial operations is not just big news for Cruise alone. This is a major milestone for the shared mission of the AV industry to improve life in our cities. And it’s a giant leap for our mission here at Cruise to save lives, help save the planet and save people time and money. ” they said.
How to take a robot ride
People interested in getting a ride from Cruise in the San Francisco area will need to sign up at GetCruise.com. I can not tell you what the registration process is like, since I do not live in California, but TheVerge have more information about it for us.
Rides without a driver are a little cheaper than getting an Uber or a taxi, but not as much as you would think. In one example, the price of an Uber is $ 10.41, while Cruise charges $ 8.72. Given how much the cost of an Uber ride is the expense of having a driver, it seems like it could be cheaper, but we also have to keep in mind that Uber has been operating at a loss for years and now only reasonably make small profits (which some sources do not consider to be real profits, but it is outside my wheelhouse). If Cruise can fall below Uber’s prices but make steady and undeniable profits, we can have sustainable cheap rides from driverless services, which is good for passengers.
The interior of the Cruise Origin was built from the ground up for passenger service instead of being built for a driver. Image provided by Cruise.
When it comes to the vehicles themselves, expect to keep seeing modified Chevy Bolt EVs. This is what the company intends to operate until production of the Cruise Origin at Factory ZERO begins. The design is aimed at not having a driver at all instead of being a custom car that was originally intended for a driver. By optimizing only for passengers, they can create much more space and ease of access for passengers, and possibly certain safety benefits.
All images provided by GM / Cruise.
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