Uber Technologies Inc. and General Motors’ Cruise have formalized a multi-year partnership to offer driverless rides to Uber users starting next year. This announcement, made on Thursday, marks a significant step for Cruise as it seeks to revive its autonomous vehicle operations following a high-profile incident in October 2023. During this event, a pedestrian in San Francisco was dragged 20 feet by a Cruise vehicle after being struck by another car. 

The incident prompted investigations by state and federal regulators, resulting in a major leadership shakeup at Cruise, including the departure of CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt, alongside substantial layoffs. Despite these challenges, Cruise CEO Marc Whitten and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi expressed strong support for the new partnership. Whitten emphasized Cruise’s commitment to enhancing urban mobility through driverless technology, stating, “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.” 

Khosrowshahi echoed this sentiment, highlighting Uber’s enthusiasm for the collaboration and the anticipated launch next year. Specific details regarding the terms of the partnership and Cruise’s relaunch strategy were not disclosed. 

This partnership follows Uber’s previous attempts to develop its own autonomous technology in collaboration with Volvo, which ended after a fatal incident involving an Uber self-driving car in 2018. Uber has since partnered with other autonomous vehicle developers, including Google-owned Waymo, to offer driverless services in various locations. 

Cruise’s competitor, Waymo, currently provides 100,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, with plans to expand into Austin, Texas. Despite the new partnership with Uber, Cruise remains focused on relaunching its driverless ride-hailing service and app, with ongoing supervised testing in Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston.