Uber Technologies and GM subsidiary Cruise, announced a multiyear strategic partnership to bring Cruise autonomous vehicles to the Uber platform.
The companies plan to launch the partnership next year with a dedicated number of Chevy Bolt-based autonomous vehicles.
Once launched, when an Uber rider requests a qualifying ride on the Uber app, they may be presented with the option to have that trip fulfilled by a Cruise autonomous vehicle.
“Cruise is on a mission to leverage driverless technology to create safer streets and redefine urban life,” said Marc Whitten, CEO of Cruise. “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.”
“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO. “We’re thrilled to partner with Cruise and look forward to launching next year.”
Uber has been offering autonomous rides in Phoenix since last October through a partnership with Waymo. Google-owned Waymo, which operates nearly 700 self-driving vehicles in the city, is the sole U.S. company providing fully autonomous taxi services to paying customers.
Meanwhile, Cruise is attempting to restart operations in the United States following a significant accident in San Francisco last year. The company has resumed testing its vehicles with human safety drivers while working to address concerns from state and federal regulators about the safety of its technology.
