Company’s Vehicles are Unfit to Operate in U.S.’s Fourth-Largest City

The following is a statement from Robert Mele, President of Teamsters Joint Council 58, regarding Cruise’s announcement that Houston will be the second city for it to resume operations:

“The Teamsters represent thousands of Texans who turn a key for a living. Neither workers nor the general public feel safe operating next to Cruise vehicles or any other robotaxi, and for good reason.

“Cruise is still the same company that had to suspend operations nationwide after a string of safety incidents where its vehicles left a pedestrian grievously injured, collided with fire trucks, blocked waste trucks, nearly collided with children in two separate incidents, caused a massive traffic jam outside of a music festival, and triggered a 20-car pileup in a tunnel. These are still the same vehicles that reportedly came within inches of colliding with a child and had difficulty recognizing them on camera.

“Cruise hasn’t done anything remotely close to repairing the public trust it lost following these failures. This company shouldn’t be present anywhere — with or without a human operator — while it’s still under federal investigation.

“This isn’t a Republican or a Democrat issue. This is a safety issue. We encourage policymakers and other stakeholders to call for accountability from Cruise and other driverless car and truck companies before, and not after, they have a chance to operate on our roads.”

Teamsters Joint Council 58 represents over 15,000 workers throughout Texas.

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