Nuro has announced that it has secured a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Drivered Pilot Permit, ahead of the launch of its robotaxi program with Uber and Lucid.
The CPUC Drivered Pilot Permit allows Nuro to conduct pilot testing of an autonomous passenger service in California, carrying passengers in test vehicles on public roads, with a safety driver on board. The permit builds on Nuro’s California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Driverless Testing Permit, received in April, which allows the company to test autonomous vehicles without a safety driver.
Taken together, these permits enable two important steps toward launch in California: driverless testing and passenger-carrying pilot operations. They do not authorize paid rides, and the CPUC Drivered Pilot Permit does not authorize driverless passenger operations.
“These approvals mark another meaningful step forward as we continue preparing for launch in California,” said James Owens, Nuro’s chief legal and policy officer. “They expand what we can validate on public roads and reflect the steady progress our team is making across technology, operations, rider experience,and regulatory readiness.”
Nuro is one of five companies in California with both the DMV Driverless Testing Permit and Drivered Pilot Permit.
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