GM’s autonomous vehicle division, Cruise, is pushing back on claims that its driverless cars are illegally double parking.
According to a recent report from Reuters, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has stated that Cruise autonomous vehicles currently deployed in San Francisco are not allowed to double park or block traffic while performing stops. The agency is calling to deny Cruise’s permit to test autonomous vehicles in the city until the technology can demonstrate greater competency.
In response, Cruise has stated that state law allows commercial vehicles to park away from the curb when reasonable while loading or unloading passengers.
“Cruise’s operations thus are not only explicitly legally permissible under the Vehicle Code but are consistent with the lawful operation of other commercial vehicles registered in California,” Cruise stated in a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Monday. The CPUC will have final authority over awarding Cruise with a permit to begin charging the public for rides using the Cruise autonomous vehicle service.
Additionally, the SFMTA raised concerns that Cruise was failing to provide service to low-income and minority neighborhoods, as well as failing to accommodate passengers with wheelchairs. Cruise said that its autonomous vehicles could accommodate a foldable wheelchair and passenger in the backseat.
Back in January of 2020, General Motors unveiled Cruise Origin, its first fully driverless vehicle, ready for production. The interior is equipped with opposing bench seats for passengers, as well as digital screens providing the passengers with information like the trip itinerary. Cruise Origin is also full electric, leveraging GM’s Ultium battery technology for motivation.
Cruise Origin
Back in October of this year, Cruise was awarded a permit to begin offering fully autonomous rides to passengers in certain areas of San Francisco. Speeds are capped at 30 mph. In order to begin charging a fee for these rides, Cruise will require an additional permit from the CPUC.
Full series production of the Cruise Origin AV is expected to launch at the GM Factory Zero facility in Michigan either next year or in 2023.
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Comments
how does double parking help with gm’s stated goal of zero congestion?
What’s ridiculous is these points;
1. Creating even further affordable modes of transit, doesn’t always lead to less congestion.
2. Doing so, will cause worse congestion by inducing demand for ride-hailing and transit.
3. Why not just invest in high-speed or local commuter rail?
4. These companies are all in a race to the bottom. Just as Uber and Lyft are. This is about which company can place as many cars as possible on the road, and just have them scourging roadways on the hunt to be the closest car between either platform to get a passengers trip request just as it is now, with human drivers.
What a waste of money on the part of gm. I have absolutely zero interest in these things and aside from being a shuttle on a campus-like setting or large parking area there is no real benefit . The technology is overhyped and benefits overpromised.
I drove for the brain dead Progressive a$$es at Uber, that wrecked what was once a brilliant APP, until their AI metrics threw me off the platform for having too many accidents on my record- TWO accidents hitting a deer each time. Yep, I’m a derelict dangerous driver for colliding with two deer per the San Fran computer geeks who wrote the humanless Human Resources Division of the Company.
Anyway, during my short Uber career at the Jersey Shore you learned in the first few hours or days that you do NOT stop in a traffic lane to pick up OR drop off passengers. The cops in all the towns wrote out thousands of tix for “Blocking Traffic”. Of course gm would see it differently.
Why does not GM provide this free transportation to people in rural areas as well?