Uber To Bring Cruise AVs To Its Platform Next Year

General Motors’ autonomous driving subsidiary Cruise has announced that it will enter into a partnership with Uber to deploy its self-driving robotaxi units through the mobile app’s ride-hailing service.

Set to launch sometime next year, an Uber rider will have the option to have a qualifying ride fulfilled by a Cruise AV unit as opposed to a human driver. Notably, a dedicated number of robotaxis will be used.

“Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” Cruise CEO Marc Whitten claimed in a prepared statement. “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.”

“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi remarked. “We’re thrilled to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year.”

In other Cruise-related developments, GM Authority recently reported that the autonomous driving subsidiary revealed ambitious plans to relaunch its self-driving service by the end of the 2024 calendar year, along with a resumption of charging fares in early 2025. Of course, this comes as GM CEO and Chair Mary Barra confirmed that deployment of the Cruise Origin robotaxi had been indefinitely sidelined due to regulatory uncertainty and higher per-unit costs. Moving forward, the next-gen Bolt EV will be utilized to implement its AV technology.

Beyond that, Cruise Chief Safety Officer Steve Kenner also made it extremely clear that the self-driving company is looking to double down on safety, and is working towards a “role model driver” mindset as opposed to a “better-than-average driver” attitude.

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