Cruise suspends driverless vehicle operations in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas - Cruise is suspending all of its driverless vehicle operations in Texas. This includes Austin, where 125 autonomous vehicles were driving on roads.

Austin Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis sent a memo to city leaders by the robotaxi company. Cruise said they need to rebuild public trust, so it's taking its cars off the roads to examine their processes and systems.

"They are temporarily suspending their operations while they reassess the process and systems and reflect on how they can build better trust with the community that they have been very active in", Mayor Pro Tem Ellis said.

This comes after California suspended all operations there.

The federal government also opened an investigation into their safety after a Cruise car ran over a pedestrian there. 

In Austin, we have seen videos of Cruise cars struggling in traffic, and making traffic jams even worse.

"It kind of makes sense, especially in Austin, where the infrastructure is changing all the time," said Austin resident Shelby Hicks. "It's not easy to have something, technology, that is not fully developed yet in a city like Austin."

"If there is some technology loop they need to gifure out, then figure it out and rerelease them," EO Sparks, an Austin resident, said.

RELATED: California DMV suspends Cruise robotaxi license for safety concerns

The autonomous vehicles were introduced to the public for ride sharing services in 2022.

Since the Cruise vehicles have been in service, there have been a number of reported stalks and a collision, according to Austin residents.

"I actually have a friend who had their parked car in front of their house, and a self-driving car crashed into and, like, totaled their car," said Hicks.

While residents are weighing the pros and cons of the ride-share service, they are hoping for the vehicles to return to the downtown area after improvement.

"I have had friends who have used it instead of like an Uber," Hicks said. "I think it's a safe option for people."

"We have driven it two times downtown Austin, and we didn't have any issues so the suspension I think would be ok, but let's put them back on the road," Sparks said.

Sparks says not only does the vehicle serve as a designated driver, but it is beneficial to the environment.

"When you have a full autonomous electric car, you can kind of cut down on the pollution and the need for extra cars, especially in a downtown setting which is where electric cars should flourish," Sparks said.