GM Cruise prepares to resume robotaxi testing after accident

General Motors Co.’s Cruise autonomous driving unit is nearing the resumption of robotaxi testing in the coming weeks, with Houston and Dallas emerging as potential locations, following the grounding of its fleet last year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Cruise LLC unit is in talks with officials in several metro areas, including the two Texas cities, about resuming tests on public roads with safety drivers, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. Before suspending operations over safety concerns in October, the company had hundreds of cars in San Francisco and smaller numbers in Austin, Houston and Phoenix.

The robotaxi company has been working to earn the public’s confidence after one of its cars struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco in October, sparking allegations from regulators that Cruise withheld key footage and details of the incident. Amid the fallout, which ultimately resulted in the suspension of Cruise’s license in California, the company has dismissed a slew of top executives, laid off a quarter of its workforce and hired a new chief safety officer.

“We have not set a timeline for deployment,” Cruise spokesman Pat Morrissey said in a statement. “Our goal is to relaunch in one city with manually driven vehicles and supervised testing as soon as possible once we have taken steps to rebuild trust with regulators and the public. We are in the process of meeting with officials in select markets to gather information, share updates and rebuild trust.”

The company has been focusing its comeback plan on Texas, which has relatively liberal regulation for companies that seek to operate autonomous vehicles in the state. Cruise’s suspension in California stymies its ability to resume operations in San Francisco, where it’s based.

The efforts are particularly advanced in Houston, where Cruise is preparing to dispatch safety drivers, said another person with knowledge of the matter. The testing in that city could begin in the coming months, the person said.

The company hasn’t made a final decision yet on which city will be first. Cruise is talking to regulators and city officials