Nuro has received a Drivered Pilot Permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), allowing the company to begin testing autonomous passenger services on public roads in California with a safety driver present.
The approval follows the company’s receipt of a California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Driverless Testing Permit in April, which authorised Nuro to test autonomous vehicles without a driver behind the wheel.
Together, the permits allow the company to carry out two separate activities in California: driverless vehicle testing and passenger-carrying pilot operations with a safety driver. Neither permit currently allows Nuro to offer paid rides to members of the public, and the CPUC approval does not permit driverless passenger journeys.
The permit is linked to Nuro’s planned robotaxi service being developed in partnership with Uber and Lucid Motors.
James Owens, Nuro's Chief Legal and Policy Officer said:These approvals mark another meaningful step forward as we continue preparing for launch in California. They expand what we can validate on public roads and reflect the steady progress our team is making across technology, operations, rider experience, and regulatory readiness.
The companies confirmed in October 2025 that the San Francisco Bay Area would become the first market for the planned robotaxi service. Nuro began autonomous road testing with safety drivers in December 2025, before unveiling a production-intent vehicle for the programme alongside Uber and Lucid at CES in January 2026.
Nuro said it currently operates nearly 100 engineering vehicles based on the Lucid Gravity platform integrated with the company’s Nuro Driver autonomous system. The fleet is being used for testing and validation activities across several cities and states in the United States.
In April, selected Uber employees also began trialling the service through the Uber app in the San Francisco Bay Area.
According to Nuro, the latest approval makes it one of five companies in California to hold both a DMV Driverless Testing Permit and a CPUC Drivered Pilot Permit.
