California has suspended Cruise driverless taxis from San Francisco streets.

The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) cited safety concerns in putting the brakes on rides from Cruise cabs, but did not provide details.

The company is one of two firms, alongside Waymo, that has been allowed to provide paid-for taxi trips with driverless cars in San Francisco.

Cruise said in a statement it would be “pausing operations in the city”.

Driverless taxis, sometimes referred to as autonomous vehicles (AVs), are a common sight in San Francisco – to the amazement of many tourists.

As the name suggests, there is no driver. A customer can hail a cab with an app and then unlock the door with their phone.

Critics say the vehicles’ safety has not been established and question allowing them to roam city streets.

Although the DMV did not give details about a specific event that triggered the suspension, Cruise did provide further details of a crash involving one of its cars.

A pedestrian was struck by another car on 2 October and then propelled into the path of the Cruise car, the company said in a statement.

The Cruise car “detected a collision” and stopped. It then “attempted to pull over to avoid causing further road safety issues, pulling the individual forward approximately 20 feet”, according to the statement.

Cruise said this scenario had not been encountered before and was due to a confluence of factors. It said the DMV was reviewing the incident.

The statement from the DMV also says the suspension is based on the misrepresentation of information related to safety, but didn’t expand further.

The DMV confirmed to the BBC that the suspension does not apply to Waymo.

The move by the DMV is a huge setback for Cruise, which appeared to have established itself in San Francisco just a few months ago.

Cruise wants to expand into other cities, like Phoenix in Arizona. But San Francisco is widely seen as a test case for the company.

In August the city voted to allow the company to provide 24-hour taxis for paid-for trips – a massive moment for Cruise.

Shortly after that a Cruise car was involved in a crash with a fire engine and the company was asked to halve its fleet of cars on the streets.

Representatives of emergency services in San Francisco have criticized the company’s cars for blocking roads, as well.

Both Waymo and Cruise have consistently argued that their cars are safer than human drivers.

However they can also do things that feel strange – or odd or jerky.

The BBC has used Cruise AVs several times on San Francisco streets, including one occasion when the car couldn’t make a right turn and blocked traffic until it was manually steered.

Some San Franciscans love these cars. No driver means no drunk driving, or speeding, or refusing to pick up a passenger due to disability.

Others wonder why it’s San Francisco that is being used to try untested vehicles.

Over the summer, an activist group began a movement to put street cones on their bonnets, which deactivates the cars.