San Francisco police were offered a glimpse into a driverless future when an officer attempted to pull over one of Cruise’s autonomous robotaxis.
The amusing encounter first saw the officer approach the unmanned Chevy Bolt with characteristic swagger, only to be left bemused that no one was behind the wheel.
After a failed attempt to open the taxi door for further inspection, the officer began walking back to his patrol car when the cheeky Chevy appeared to make a run for it by darting across the intersection before pulling over once again.
Trailing close behind, the SFPD were this time taking no chances and produced two officers to inspect the futuristic cab.
Cruise said on Sunday in response to the video, originally posted on April 2: “Our AV yielded to the police vehicle, then pulled over to the nearest safe location for the traffic stop, as intended. An officer contacted Cruise personnel and no citation was issued.
“We work closely with the SFPD on how to interact with our vehicles, including a dedicated phone number for them to call in situations like this.”
The General Motors subsidiary has been offering residents of San Francisco rides in a handful of its driverless cars during limited hours at night.
Its aim is to establish itself as the leader in a fledgling market that could eventually be worth trillions of dollars.
Alphabet’s Waymo also recently announced it would begin a soft launch of its Waymo One robotaxi service in the heart of Silicon Valley, offering free rides to its employees.
