Cruise offers $75,000 settlement to resolve CPUC investigation into pedestrian crash
Robotaxi company Cruise is offering to pay $75,000 to settle the investigation into an early October crash involving a pedestrian.
The Oct. 2 incident started with a human driver who hit a woman, sending her into the path of a Cruise robotaxi.
The woman was hit around 9:30 Monday night in the crosswalk at Market and Fifth streets right after the traffic light turned green. She was then run over and pinned by the Cruise vehicle. The incident sparked widespread criticism of the company and its autonomous vehicles. Cruise had already been under fire for a number of collisions that led the company to cut its operating robotaxi fleet in half last summer.
The settlement being offered by the General Motors owned company would resolve the investigation by California state regulators into Cruise's failure to disclose details regarding the collision.
The collision set off a string of events that placed the company's future into question. On Oct. 24, the California Public Utilities Commission eventually pulled Cruise's driverless testing permit. Cruise then pulled all its driverless cars off the road nationwide.
In November, Cruise CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt resigned from the company. The company announced that a number of other key leaders had quit and hundreds of workers were being laid off less than two weeks before Christmas.
In addition to the cash settlement, Cruise also offered to share more data with regulators.
"Cruise is committed to rebuilding trust with our regulators, increased transparency and cooperation with the CPUC, and providing the data and information the Commission needs to ensure that AV service is safe, equitable and accessible."
