By the end of the year, Cruise plans to offer robotaxi services in Phoenix and Austin

By the end of the year, Cruise plans to offer robotaxi services in Phoenix and Austin

The CEO of Cruise, a General Motors-owned autonomous car firm, said today that the company would debut a robotaxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, by the end of 2022.

The business now runs a ride-hailing service in just one city, San Francisco, where it got the approval early this year to begin charging passengers for trips. It took years to ramp up that service; Cruise now claims it can do the same in two more locations in 90 days.

Through a delivery relationship with Walmart, the business has conducted autonomous testing in Phoenix. However, no cars have been deployed in Austin, which Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt described as unusual.