Uber and Cruise, the autonomous vehicle company owned by General Motors, are teaming up to introduce robotaxis to the Uber platform, according to a recent announcement.

Starting next year, the companies plan to launch a multiyear collaboration, initially deploying a select number of autonomous vehicles. When these robotaxis become available, Uber users may have the option to choose an autonomous vehicle for their ride when they request a qualifying trip through the Uber app.

“We are excited to partner with Uber to bring the benefits of safe, reliable, autonomous driving to even more people, unlocking a new era of urban mobility,” said Marc Whitten, CEO of Cruise, in the press release.

Uber, which exited the self-driving car business in 2020, has since focused on forming partnerships to realize its vision for autonomous transportation.

“As the largest mobility and delivery platform, we believe Uber can play an important role in helping to safely and reliably introduce autonomous technology to consumers and cities around the world,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated in the release.

This partnership is a promising development for Cruise, which faced setbacks last year when it temporarily pulled its autonomous vehicles from the roads following an incident where one of its cars struck and dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco. Cruise has since resumed supervised operations in three cities. Additionally, Cruise recently agreed to recall its entire fleet of robotaxis to address concerns raised by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into unexpected braking issues.

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