Robotaxi firm Cruise will resume testing its self-driving taxi fleet in Phoenix, Arizona, but with a human driver in control and no autonomous driving mechanisms engaged. This follows a series of collisions in in San Francisco at the end of last year.

Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, was set up in 2013 to build a fleet of robotaxis with advanced self-driving technology to enable residents in city centres to take driverless trips.

Robotaxis’ appeal lies in offering transportation options for passengers who can’t drive, such as the elderly or the disabled, or have never learned.

Cruise began testing its robotaxis in San Francisco but, following incidents in October 2023 that saw a pedestrian run over by a Cruise taxi and another involving a collision with a fire truck, lawmakers in California banned Cruise from operating its vehicles in the state.

Six months on and Cruise, having paused its operations, slimmed down its workforce and seen the resignation of its CEO and co-founder Kyle...