Yesterday, Cruise received the first-everDriverless Deployment Permitgranted by the California Public Utilities Commission.
This allows the company to charge fares for their driverless rides in San Francisco.
What does the permit mean?
The taxi service is restricted to selected San Francisco streets.
For example, reporting during safety during pickup and drop-off events, as part of a future CPUC workshop.
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What is the status of robotaxis in the wild?
Things are moving fast and slow.
The company has a permit to operate a paid robotaxi service in Chandler, Arizona.
I spoke to someone today who took a ride and told me it was excellent.
In China, Baidu and Pony.ai havebeen collecting faresin Beijings suburban district of Yizhuang since November 2021.
But the companies only received their taxilicensesin April this year - the first companies in China to do so.
This requires a two-year trial with no safety incidents.
Cruises permit is a huge boon for the company.
Interested people can sign up for a ride atgetcruise.com.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
