On Thursday, Uber and General Motors’ Cruise announced a “multi-year strategic partnership” to provide self-driving vehicle rental services, commonly known as robo-taxi, on the Uber platform. While there’s still a lot we don’t know about the program, from how much rides will cost to which cities the service will be available, both companies say the program will be up and running next year.
A Cruise spokesperson reached out to Gizmodo for comment on Thursday, telling Gizmodo only that the first city to have robo-taxi on Uber’s platform in 2025 will be one of three cities: Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas, Texas; or Houston, Texas. “Our focus remains on relaunching our own self-driving apps and services, with this partnership to follow,” a spokesperson said via email.
Uber has dabbled in putting self-driving cars on the road as a viable alternative to human drivers, but the company’s efforts have never been successful. Back in 2017, Uber even signed a deal with Volvo to make this happen, but it ultimately fell through. In 2022, there are Uber robotaxis in Las Vegas, but there are still drivers behind the wheel. Clearly, achieving reliable, safe self-driving capabilities for taxis at scale has been a dream that multiple companies have been working toward for more than a decade.
“Cruise’s mission is to use driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” Cruise CEO Marc Whitten said in a statement posted online. “We’re excited to partner with Uber to bring this to more people. The benefits of safety, reliability, and autonomous driving open up a new era of urban travel.”
Cruise’s operating license was suspended in California in October 2023 after a self-driving car hit and dragged a pedestrian jaywalking in San Francisco. Cruise suspended operations but will resume operations in Phoenix, Houston and Dallas in June 2024.
The marketing pitch, right or wrong, has been that self-driving taxis are designed to make transportation safer while also cutting labor costs. Uber has “disrupted” the taxi industry by repeatedly violating labor laws to drive down wages. But now that Uber has dominated the taxi industry, it makes sense that it would want to put these drivers out of work to achieve maximum efficiency.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, like Cruise’s CEO, emphasized the safety angle when he floated the idea on Thursday, completely ignoring possible labor issues.
“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and securely introduce self-driving technology to consumers and cities around the world,” said Khosrowshahi. “We are excited to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year ”
Uber did not respond to questions about the timing and geographic availability of vehicles in this upcoming program. Gizmodo will update this article if we hear back.
