Nuro has taken another step toward launching its robotaxi service in California after securing a crucial regulatory approval. The company confirmed it has received a Drivered Pilot Permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), allowing it to begin pilot testing autonomous passenger services on public roads with a safety driver.
The permit marks a significant milestone for Nuro’s planned robotaxi rollout in partnership with Uber and Lucid Motors. While the approval allows real passengers to be transported during testing, operations must still include a human safety driver and cannot involve paid rides at this stage.
Building Toward Fully Autonomous Ride Services
The newly granted CPUC permit builds on Nuro’s earlier approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which enables driverless vehicle testing. Together, these permissions allow the company to expand both driverless testing and supervised passenger-carrying operations—two critical phases in bringing commercial robotaxi services to market.
However, regulatory boundaries remain clear. The current permits do not allow fully driverless passenger services or commercial ride-hailing operations, underscoring the gradual and tightly controlled rollout of autonomous mobility in California.
According to Nuro, the approvals reflect ongoing progress across its autonomous technology stack, operational readiness, and rider experience development.
San Francisco Set as Launch Market
The robotaxi program has been steadily advancing over the past year. In late 2025, Nuro, Uber, and Lucid identified the San Francisco Bay Area as the first launch market for their next-generation service. Since then, testing has ramped up, including public road trials with safety drivers and the unveiling of a production-intent robotaxi vehicle at CES 2026.
At the core of the program is the Lucid Gravity, an all-electric SUV adapted for autonomous operation using Nuro’s proprietary Nuro Driver system. The company currently operates a fleet of nearly 100 such engineering vehicles across multiple U.S. locations, supporting large-scale validation efforts.
Early Testing Already Underway
In April, select users within the Uber ecosystem began experiencing early versions of the service through the Uber app in the San Francisco Bay Area. These limited trials are designed to refine real-world performance and gather feedback ahead of a broader public rollout.
With the addition of the CPUC Drivered Pilot Permit, Nuro now joins a small group of companies authorized to conduct both driverless testing and supervised passenger operations in California—an important distinction in one of the world’s most tightly regulated autonomous vehicle markets.
What Comes Next
Although fully autonomous, driverless ride-hailing services are not yet approved, the latest permit signals steady momentum. Each regulatory step brings Nuro, Uber, and Lucid closer to launching a scalable robotaxi network powered by electric vehicles and advanced autonomy.
As competition intensifies in the autonomous mobility space, California remains a critical proving ground—and Nuro’s latest milestone reinforces its position among the leading players pushing toward a driverless future.
[source: Nuro]
