Skip to content

Brought to you by

Dentons logo

Driverless Commute

A digest clocking the most important technical, legal and regulatory developments shaping the path to full autonomy

open menu close menu

Driverless Commute

  • Home
  • About Us
  • News on AVs
  • Global AV Index
  • Global Guide to AVs 2023
    • Executive summary
    • Australia
    • Canada
    • China
    • Germany
    • Hungary
    • Italy
    • Poland
    • South Korea
    • Turkey
    • United Kingdom
    • United States

California’s first AV public passenger service could provide key industry and market data

By Eric Tanenblatt
August 3, 2021
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Driverless Commute
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on LinkedIn

Article originally published in Smart Cities Drive.

All eyes are on California as Cruise prepares to roll out the state’s first-ever driverless car service to the public.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in June authorized Cruise, a General Motors subsidiary, to operate the pilot program, which will be free to riders. Only autonomous vehicles (AV) with capacity for less than 15 passengers will be permitted to participate. Few other details are available at this stage; Cruise did not respond to requests for further comment, and a CPUC spokesperson declined to give further details.

The pilot represents an intriguing opportunity for California and for AV companies, which will be monitoring the situation to see how the public takes to the service, and also to see how Cruise and state regulators define success. If Cruise’s program goes well, it may encourage competitors to follow them into driverless service.

This latest program builds on California’s already robust AV testing environment. Late last year, the state issued its first deployment permit to Nuro, allowing the company to launch a fee-based driverless delivery business in two Bay Area counties. Given the state’s determination to lead on public roads AV testing, experts say they are unsurprised at this next step, and they believe the partnership with Cruise could help accelerate AV rollout. Onlookers in the AV space say the pilot will need clear objectives and metrics to be a long-term success, however.

“In many ways, California is leading the nation in the acceptance and promotion of autonomous vehicles,” Eric Tanenblatt, global chair of public policy and regulation at the law firm Dentons, said in an email. “Cruise is unique because they specifically wanted to test in an urban environment and experience, early on, all the challenges that come from navigating dense roadways. The truth is that these environments are where autonomous vehicles will really assist the public.”

To continue reading, visit Smart Cities Drive.

Subscribe to the Driverless Commute to stay up-to-date on autonomous technology in the US and around the world. Check out our AV Index and Global Guide for more information.

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email Share on LinkedIn
Subscribe and stay updated
Receive our latest blog posts by email.
Stay in Touch
California, California Public Utility Commission, Cruise, General Motors, Nuro
Eric Tanenblatt

About Eric Tanenblatt

Eric Tanenblatt is the Global Chair of Public Policy and Regulation of Dentons, the world's largest law firm. He also leads the firm's US Public Policy Practice, leveraging his three decades of experience at the very highest levels of the federal and state governments.

All posts Full bio

RELATED POSTS

  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Driverless Commute

Talking cars: The FCC holds the key to unlocking the promise of autonomous vehicles

By Eric Tanenblatt, Lauren Wilson, and Todd Daubert
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Driverless Commute

New Early Adopters Look to Take Action in the US Autonomous Vehicle Industry

By Eric Tanenblatt and Chan Creswell
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Driverless Commute

The Driverless Commute: VW and Ford to partner on AVs, latest in long string of tie-ups; 11 companies unveil safety-as-design principles, offering closest thing to industry standard; and Lyft tests its cars on blind passengers

By Eric Tanenblatt and James Richardson

About Dentons

Redefining possibilities. Together, everywhere. For more information visit dentons.com

Grow, Protect, Operate, Finance. Dentons, the law firm of the future is here. Copyright 2023 Dentons. Dentons is a global legal practice providing client services worldwide through its member firms and affiliates. Please see dentons.com for Legal notices.

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Autonomous Vehicles
  • Driverless Commute
  • General
  • Global Autonomous Vehicles Survey
  • UAVs
Dentons logo in black and white

© 2025 Dentons

  • Legal notices
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms of use
  • Cookies on this site