Cruise Seeks to Resume Driverless Car Testing in Houston and Dallas

Cruise has asked Texas regulators for permission to restart its autonomous vehicle testing in Houston and Dallas, seven months after a high-profile incident in San Francisco forced it to suspend operations nationwide. The company’s filings with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, submitted last month, show plans to begin mapping the cities in preparation for testing and eventual deployment.

Cruise paused all driverless operations in October 2023 after one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco following a collision involving a human-driven car. The incident led to a suspended permit from the California DMV and triggered investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Since then, Cruise has undergone internal restructuring, laid off hundreds of employees, and replaced several top executives, including co-founder and former CEO Kyle Vogt.

The Texas filings, first reported this week, describe Cruise’s intent to restart autonomous testing using safety drivers before shifting to driverless operations in both cities. The company said it already has a fleet in Texas and is in the process of inspecting and recertifying vehicles. Officials in Houston and Dallas confirmed earlier this month that Cruise had begun preliminary road testing with human operators behind the wheel.

A spokesperson for Cruise declined to comment on a potential launch timeline but said safety remains the top priority. The company has taken several steps over the past few months to address concerns from regulators, including implementing new safety protocols around incident response and revising its vehicle software.

Texas does not require companies to obtain individual testing permits for autonomous vehicles, but operators must submit a self-certification to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Unlike California, where state regulators can halt AV operations, Texas has fewer regulatory barriers, attracting a number of companies to test there. Waymo and Aurora are among the firms with ongoing operations in the state.

Despite Cruise’s plans, public officials in both cities have urged caution. In Houston, Mayor John Whitmire met with Cruise representatives this spring and expressed concern about safety and transparency. In Dallas, city transportation officials have requested additional briefings before driverless service is approved.

Cruise’s renewed activity in Texas suggests the company is attempting to reestablish its presence in markets with fewer regulatory hurdles. In San Francisco, its home city, the company remains sidelined. The California DMV has not reinstated its driverless permit, and the future of Cruise’s operations on state roads remains uncertain.

Following the October incident, Cruise formed a new safety advisory board and released a 195-page report outlining failures in communication and decision-making. The company also acknowledged shortcomings in how its vehicles responded to unexpected situations and pledged to improve its incident response protocols.

As Cruise eyes a return to public roads, the company faces ongoing federal scrutiny. The NHTSA has two active investigations into Cruise crashes, including the October incident, probing whether systemic safety defects exist in the company’s software.

Resuming operations in Texas could help Cruise recover some ground, particularly as rival companies continue to scale up. Waymo has expanded its driverless service in Phoenix and parts of Los Angeles, while Amazon-owned Zoox recently began testing in Las Vegas.

Cruise has not specified when it will resume full driverless service in Texas. Until then, operations will be limited to mapping and supervised testing. The timeline for returning to autonomous service in San Francisco or California remains unclear.