GM’s Cruise has become the first company to secure a permit to charge for self-driving car rides in San Francisco, California after overcoming many objections from state and local officials.

There have been plenty of self-driving test cars with human safety drivers seen around the city. Driverless ones are becoming commonplace as well. Self-driving cars have become a major business in major United States cities and this marks a massive milestone for driverless taxi service hopes.

General Motors' Cruise unit plans ride-sharing fleet with new electric AV | Automotive News Europe — **Image Source**

Cruise’s permit is the first hurdle. The company said it would launch paid services within the next few weeks and can be using up to 30 driverless EV Chevy Bolts. The Public Utility Commission apprved the permit in a 4-0 vote.

"This resolution marks another important step in that effort. It will allow our staff to continue to gather very important data that will support the development of future phases."
Clifford Rechtschaffen, a commissioner, said. He also claimed the voting panel has been "taking a careful, incremental approach.”

Some of the limits to Cruise will be:

30mph maximum speed
The geographic area to avoid downtown
Operations during the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am.
No highways
No driving during times of heavy fog, precipitation, or smoke

Read more on the applications of Cruise and more HERE

Uniic Media

California grants GM's Cruise First Permit to…