Lyft Plans to Launch Robotaxi Services in 2026, Starting in Dallas

Lyft plans to introduce robotaxis equipped with Mobileye technology as early as 2026, beginning in Dallas, Texas. According to CEO David Risher, the service will later expand to additional cities with thousands of autonomous cabs.

Operating in hundreds of cities across North America and serving 40 million riders annually, Lyft has not yet disclosed how many self-driving vehicles will be deployed in Dallas or how much driverless rides will cost.

Lyft Partners with Marubeni to Expand Autonomous Fleet

Lyft is particularly focused on making this initiative successful through a partnership with Japanese conglomerate Marubeni. “Marubeni is a major global player in fleet ownership,” said Risher, who has served as CEO since April 2023. “They oversee more than 900,000 vehicles across various subsidiaries and joint ventures and have consistently grown their B2B and B2C auto financing business. They’re aiming to be leaders in the autonomous vehicle sector, and we’re excited to collaborate with them.”

Marubeni also holds a stake in the North American vehicle fleet company Wheels, among other ventures. Lyft believes that successfully scaling robotaxis will require strong financial partnerships, top-tier fleet management, and continuous demand.

The company has previously partnered with multiple autonomous vehicle firms. In 2022, it launched driverless ride services in Austin with Argo AI and in Las Vegas with Motional. However, both projects were discontinued later that year.

Last November, Lyft partnered with self-driving technology firms Mobileye (an Intel subsidiary), May Mobility, and Nexar to revive its autonomous vehicle efforts.

Under the new plan, Marubeni will own the autonomous vehicles operating on Lyft’s network and use Lyft’s Flexdrive fleet management service for their upkeep.

Lyft Enters the Race as Tesla and Waymo Accelerate Robotaxi Expansion

This announcement comes shortly after Tesla revealed plans to launch robotaxis by June of this year. Meanwhile, Waymo is ramping up its self-driving cab operations, expanding beyond Los Angeles into cities like Atlanta, Austin, and ten more locations throughout the year.

In Austin, Uber has already started promoting Waymo’s autonomous cabs within its app. According to TechCrunch, Uber has also secured partnerships with other self-driving companies, including Wayve and Aurora Innovation. With competition intensifying, Lyft will have ground to make up in the coming year.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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