Uber and General Motors-backed Cruise announced a multiyear strategic partnership to bring Cruise autonomous vehicles to the Uber platform.
Once launched, when an Uber rider requests a qualifying ride on the Uber app, they may be presented with the option to have that trip fulfilled by a Cruise autonomous vehicle.
The multi-year deal will let Uber riders choose trips in Cruise autonomous vehicles. Uber has been offering driverless rides in Phoenix since last October through a partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo, which operates about 700 robotaxis and is the only US company currently offering uncrewed fare-based rides.
The companies will start their partnership next year with a fleet of Chevy Bolt autonomous vehicles. When an Uber rider requests a ride, they may be given the option to choose a Cruise self-driving car.
“Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life. We are excited to partner with Uber to bring the benefits of safe, reliable, autonomous driving to even more people, unlocking a new era of urban mobility,” said Marc Whitten, CEO of Cruise.
According to Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber aims to play a key role in safely and reliably introducing autonomous technology to consumers and cities worldwide.
“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play a key role in safely and reliably introducing autonomous technology to consumers and cities worldwide. We’re thrilled to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year,” Khosrowshahi said in a statement.
Cruise resumes testing and recalls robotaxis following major accident
Cruise is working to return to US roads after a major accident in San Francisco last year halted its operations. Earlier this year, the company resumed testing with safety drivers to reassure state and federal officials about vehicle safety.
On Thursday, Cruise agreed to recall nearly 1,200 robotaxis due to hard braking issues, prompting the US auto safety regulator to close its investigation, Reutersreports.
Uber’s partnership with Cruise comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk prepares to unveil its postponed robotaxi plans in October, amid declining demand for electric vehicles. Commercializing autonomous vehicles has proven more challenging and time-consuming than anticipated, due to complex technology, high investments, strict regulatory scrutiny, and federal investigations.
Uber’s focus shift from self-driving to core services boosts self-driving trips six-fold
In 2020, Uber sold its self-driving division to cut costs and refocus on its core business areas, such as ride-hailing and food delivery.
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Trips by self-driving vehicles on Uber’s platform increased six-fold in the June quarter compared to the previous year, thanks to partnerships with companies like Waymo and startup Waabi for freight services.
Recently, Khosrowshahi also stated that Uber is “uniquely positioned to offer tremendous value for AV players looking to deploy their technology at scale” during a post-earnings conference call this month.
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Bojan Stojkovski Bojan Stojkovski is a freelance journalist based in Skopje, North Macedonia, covering foreign policy and technology for more than a decade. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, ZDNet, and Nature.
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