General Motors’ driverless division Cruise has received the first-ever Driverless Deployment Permit granted by the California Public Utilities Commission, which allows it to charge a fare for the driverless rides it is providing to members of the public in San Francisco.

This means Cruise is the first, and currently only, company to operate a commercial, driverless ridehail service in a major American city.

Now with this approval, the company will begin rolling out fared rides gradually, saying it will expand “in alignment with the smoothest customer experience possible”.

“As always,” it blogs, “our focus is on delivering a magical and safe service for our riders.”

The company says this is a major milestone for the shared mission of the AV industry to improve life in cities, “and it’s a giant leap for our mission here at Cruise to save lives, help save the planet, and save people time and money.” 

“We’re grateful to the CPUC for their thoughtful review and approval of our application, and we’ll continue our close coordination with regulators and community stakeholders as we expand our service and improve our product,” the blog concludes. “Collaborating closely with the communities we serve will only become more important as we continue to deploy this transformative technology.

Thank you to each and every Cruiser whose focus and dedication is bringing our vision for the future to life—here and now. And thank you to every San Franciscan who has taken a ride with us, provided feedback, and helped us on our mission to continuously improve our service.”

(Picture – Cruise)