The suspension comes weeks after a driverless Cruise taxi was involved in a crash resulting in severe injuries to a pedestrian crossing at Fifth and Market streets in downtown San Francisco.
The incident, the first AV-involved crash in San Francisco to result in severe injuries, happened after a human driver crashed into a woman crossing Market Street and hurled her into the path of an adjacent Cruise taxi before running off. Authorities have not yet arrested the suspected human motorist responsible for the crash.
Cruise's handling of the Oct. 2 crash is what prompted state regulators' suspension, according to the DMV's Order of Suspension, first reported by Vice.
In that document, the DMV alleged that Cruise representatives did not initially show the entirety of the onboard camera footage captured by the robotaxi involved in the crash. The footage the company provided to DMV investigators and journalists who covered the incident showed the Cruise robotaxi braking hard after it collided with the pedestrian.
However, subsequent footage that the DMV obtained from Cruise after learning of its existence from another government agency shows that the robtaxi then performed a "pullover maneuver."
Attempting to pull over after colliding with the pedestrian, according to the DMV, "indicates that Cruise's vehicles may lack the ability to respond in a safe and appropriate manner during incidents involving a pedestrian so as not to unnecessarily put the pedestrian or others at risk of further injury."
A Cruise spokesperson said that the company showed DMV investigators the complete video of the incident "multiple times" when the two parties met Oct. 3, the day after the crash. "They later requested a copy of the complete video, which we provided to them," the spokesperson said.
The suspension means that Cruise cannot use its robotaxis without a human driver present, either for free or during paid rides. The company is still allowed to test its technology with a safety driver.
Cruise and Waymo both received regulatory approval in August to commercially operate their robotaxis at all hours in San Francisco. However, the DMV ordered Cruise to cut its fleet in half a week after its approved expansion as it investigated several recent crashes involving Cruise robotaxis.
The incident, the first AV-involved crash in San Francisco to result in severe injuries, happened after a human driver crashed into a woman crossing Market Street and hurled her into the path of an adjacent Cruise taxi before running off. Authorities have not arrested a suspect in the crash.
"Ultimately, we develop and deploy autonomous vehicles in an effort to save lives," Cruise said in the statement. "In the incident being reviewed by the DMV, a human hit and run driver tragically struck and propelled the pedestrian into the path of the AV. The AV braked aggressively before impact and because it detected a collision, it attempted to pull over to avoid further safety issues. When the AV tried to pull over, it continued before coming to a final stop, pulling the pedestrian forward."
According to the DMV, Cruise can request a hearing to reinstate its deployment permit, which allows the company to commercially operate its driverless taxis, within five days of its suspension. If that were to happen, the DMV would grant a hearing within 21 days of the request.
"To reinstate their permits, Cruise will need to provide the department with information regarding how it has addressed the deficiencies that led to the suspensions," the DMV said in an email.
This year has been filled with milestones and setbacks for the emerging autonomous vehicle industry in San Francisco, where General Motors-owned Cruise and Alphabet-owned Waymo have sought to prove that their robotaxis can operate safely and profitably.
The Aug. 10 decision by the California Public Utilities Commission allowed Cruise and Waymo to charge for fully driverless rides at all hours across San Francisco at a time when both companies are expanding to other cities.
While the technology is flourishing elsewhere, robotaxis in San Francisco — a notoriously challenging environment for drivers, human and robot alike — have divided residents and city officials since they increased driverless operations last year.
Fire officials have lambasted the technology because they say driverless taxis' occasional erratic behavior has interfered with emergency response efforts. Transportation officials say self-driving cars have impeded public transit, traffic and construction on local streets.
A spokesperson for the Fire Department told the Chronicle that firefighters in recent weeks have "seen a drop in AV incidents, we feel, because they were ordered to have less on the roadways."
The DMV, which issues the permits for AV companies to commercially operate in California, launched an investigation into Cruise a week after the CPUC's decision, citing a spree of collisions involving the company's taxis.
Aaron Peskin, president of the city's Board of Supervisors, said Cruise's suspension is "better late than never."
"San Francisco has long held that Cruise vehicles were not ready for prime time and the state should never have allowed their unlimited deployment in the first place," Peskin told the Chronicle.
City officials are still pushing for the CPUC to grant a rehearing that could reverse the commission's decision. Such a move is unlikely to stamp out robotaxis' presence in San Francisco but would remove Cruise and Waymo's ability to charge for driverless daytime rides. The commission in August rejected a separate request by the city attorney to pause enforcement of its decision pending a rehearing.
While Tuesday's news validated concerns by city officials wary of autonomous vehicles' performance, the technology has seen growing use by residents in recent months, with both companies reporting tens of thousands of users in San Francisco.
Robotaxi supporters say city officials have been overly eager to assign blame to driverless taxis for causing disruptions, and the AV companies say their driverless vehicles mostly operate without incident in San Francisco.
Cruise says it has cooperated with regulators throughout the investigation. The company said it planned to roll out technological upgrades to its robotaxis that would make them more adept at responding during emergencies.
Cruise had been operating in the city with half its San Francisco fleet — no more than 50 driverless taxis during the day and 150 vehicles at night. Its suspension by the DMV means only Waymo's robotaxis will be available for driverless rides in San Francisco.
The Mountain View-based company was operating about 250 robotaxis before the CPUC's August decision, though it's unclear whether Waymo has added vehicles to its San Francisco fleet.
"Public safety remains the California DMV's top priority, and the department's autonomous vehicle regulations provide a framework to facilitate the safe testing and deployment of this technology on California public roads," the DMV said in its statement. "When there is an unreasonable risk to public safety, the DMV can immediately suspend or revoke permits."
© 2023 the San Francisco Chronicle. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
