After observing Uber’s numerous partnerships with autonomous vehicle operators, Lyft has quietly been working on building its own fleet. The company is now prepared to launch its first robotaxi pilot in Atlanta.
Lyft has teamed up with May Mobility, a company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and backed by Toyota and BMW. The fleet consists of Toyota Sienna minivans equipped with sensors such as cameras, radar, and lidar. These vehicles will operate in both city and suburban areas around Midtown Atlanta within a 7 square-mile service area. Lyft customers in this area will have the option to be matched with a May Mobility autonomous vehicle.
In its first customer-ready AV service in the US, Lyft is taking a cautious approach by including “standby operators” (safety drivers) in the vehicles. These operators will be in the driver’s seat to take control if necessary, gradually intervening less as the service is optimized. They will also assist customers and ensure a comfortable ride. Lyft plans to eventually remove the operators once they are confident in the technology’s safety.
Having safety drivers during the initial stages of a robotaxi rollout is common practice, with companies like Waymo and Tesla also employing them. Currently, only Waymo and Zoox operate fully driverless vehicles without safety drivers in commercial services.
While Lyft may have fewer partnerships compared to Uber, it is following a similar strategy by offering its ridehail platform to self-driving developers. This allows them to connect with customers without the need to manage their own customer-facing operations. Like Uber, Lyft aims to be “asset light” by relying on other companies to handle the ownership, operation, and maintenance of the robotaxi fleet.
