Waymo, Cruise, Argo Suspend Self-Driving Tests on Virus Fears

Waymo, Cruise and Argo have suspended autonomous car testing that involves backup drivers, as the self-driving firms join corporate America to try and contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Alphabet Inc unit Waymo said on Tuesday it is temporarily suspending robotaxi services in Phoenix that require a backup driver, but said fully automated services would continue.

Waymo added it was pausing self-driving tests in California, where 65 companies have active permits for autonomous tests with backup drivers.

“The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been in contact with AV testing permit holders and there is every indication that they are adhering to federal, state and local public health recommendations,” a spokesman for California’s DMV said.

General Motors Co unit Cruise said it has suspended operations and closed all San Francisco facilities for 3 weeks. The test operators will be fully-paid for any days they would have worked during this period, said Arden Hoffman, chief people officer at Cruise.

Argo, a unit of Ford Motor Co, said it has paused its vehicle testing operations, but added it has not experienced any significant impact due to the coronavirus.

“Removing the human driver holds great promise for not only making our roads safer, but for helping our riders stay healthy in these uncertain times,” Waymo said in a blogpost https://waymo.com/coronavirus on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)