A Cruise self-driving automobile, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outdoors the corporate’s headquarters in San Francisco.
Heather Somerville | Reuters
A Cruise self-driving automobile was concerned in a crash with a San Francisco Fire Department truck only one week after California regulators authorized 24/7 robotaxi service in San Francisco.
The incident occurred Thursday round 10 p.m. within the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, on the intersection of Polk and Turk Streets, Cruise mentioned in a put up on X, the social media platform previously generally known as Twitter. One individual was taken to a hospital through ambulance with what the corporate mentioned have been “non-severe injuries.”
“One of our cars entered the intersection on a green light and was struck by an emergency vehicle that appeared to be en route to an emergency scene,” Cruise posted to X. A video obtained by ABC 7 confirmed it was a fireplace truck.
The San Francisco Police Department was not instantly accessible for touch upon the matter.
“Our primary concern is the rider and their welfare, and we have reached out to offer support. We are also deeply mindful of the well-being of the first responders and any individuals affected by this incident,” Cruise mentioned in an X put up.
California’s Public Utility Commission voted 3 to 1 final week to approve the rollout of driverless, fare-collecting autos in San Francisco. Self-driving vehicles from Cruise and Alphabet-subsidiary Waymo had already develop into common sights on San Francisco roads within the previous months.
In lower than every week, the driverless robotaxis have been creating site visitors jams, CNBC has beforehand reported. The firm has already reached 4 million driverless miles, based on CEO Kyle Vogt.
San Francisco firefighters had expressed concern in regards to the rollout earlier than the incident occurred. “Our folks cannot be paying attention to an autonomous vehicle when we’ve got ladders to throw,” San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson mentioned at a public assembly forward of the fee’s approval, NPR reported.
Nicholson cited a number of cases of self-driving autos obstructing emergency operations within the assembly, together with blocking firehouse doorways, operating by means of emergency tape, and obstructing roadways.
Cruise turned a General Motors subsidiary in 2016, based on PitchBook information. The firm was final valued at $30 billion in 2021, and minority buyers embrace Microsoft, Honda and Walmart, based on PitchBook information.
Cruise didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Source: www.cnbc.com