In a recent incident that has raised fresh concerns over the safety and reliability of autonomous vehicles, a group of passengers in Austin, Texas, reported being trapped inside a driverless car operated by Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors.

The event occurred on Friday night, sparking both public outrage and a renewed call for stricter oversight of driverless vehicle operations.

According to a report by CHRON, the passengers described a harrowing experience in which the autonomous vehicle came to a stop and refused to respond to commands, leaving them unable to exit for nearly 20 minutes.

The passengers reportedly attempted to contact customer support through the vehicle’s system but claimed that the response was slow and unhelpful.

Cruise acknowledged the incident in a public statement released over the weekend.

The company said the vehicle experienced a “technical issue that required remote operator intervention” and that engineers were investigating the root cause.

No injuries were reported, but the company offered apologies to the affected passengers and stated that updates would be made to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Verge (source) also covered the story, noting that this is not the first time Cruise vehicles have come under scrutiny.

Last year, Cruise temporarily paused operations in San Francisco after several technical mishaps, including an incident in which a car failed to yield to emergency services.

Local officials have expressed concern over the growing number of driverless vehicles on Austin’s roads. Councilmember Zohaib “Zo” Qadri, who represents the district where the incident occurred, told KVUE that the city will be evaluating its policies on autonomous vehicle permits and is in talks with state regulators to potentially tighten oversight.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been monitoring Cruise’s operations and recently launched a broader investigation into autonomous vehicle safety.

While Cruise and other companies like Waymo and Tesla argue that self-driving technology will reduce accidents and traffic deaths in the long term, critics point out that the systems remain unpredictable and prone to failure in real-world scenarios.

As autonomous vehicles continue to spread into more cities, consumer trust is becoming a critical hurdle for the industry. Analysts say that incidents like the one in Austin could stall adoption unless companies demonstrate a higher level of transparency and accountability.