SAN FRANCISCO (NEWSnet/AP) — California regulators have revoked the license of a robotaxi service owned by General Motors after determining its driverless cars are "not safe for the public's operation."

The California Department of Motor Vehicles' indefinite suspension of the Cruise robotaxi service comes just two months after another state regulator, the Public Utilities Commission, approved an expansion that authorized around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco.

That approval came over a chorus of protests, including some lodged by police and fire officials who asserted the driverless vehicles had been impeding traffic in emergencies during a testing phase.

Now Cruise is being forced to pull back on operations after the DMV concluded its robotaxis posed “an unreasonable risk to public safety,” according to a statement issued by the agency.

The DMV didn't elaborate on the specific reasons for the suspension, but the move comes after a series of incidents that heightened concerns about the hazards and inconveniences caused by Cruise's robotaxis.

In a statement, Cruise confirmed it has ceased its robotaxi operations in San Francisco. It said it is continuing to cooperate with state and federal regulators in their inquiry into an  Oct. 2 accident involving a robotaxi and a critically injured pedestrian, who had to be extracted from under the vehicle before being taken to a local hospital.

During the suspension, Cruise can operate its vehicles in autonomous mode, but with a human sitting in the driver's seat to take control whenever something goes awry. That's a precaution that has allowed dozens of companies to test autonomous driving technology throughout California for years.

While Cruise has been sidelined in San Francisco, another robotaxi operated by Waymo is continuing to give rides throughout the city Although its robotaxis haven't been involved in a major accident in San Francisco, Waymo's vehicles also have come to sudden stops that have backed up traffic in the city.

The California suspension is a significant blow to GM and its ambitious goals for Cruise. Earlier, the DMV asked Cruise to cut its driverless fleet in San Francisco in half, a request accepted by the company.

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