5 days ago
Lyft to add autonomous shuttles to its ride-hailing network
Lyft plans to add U.S.-made Holon autonomous shuttles to its ride-hailing network as early as next year.
Why it matters: It's the latest development in Lyft's autonomous vehicle strategy, as it tries to keep pace with rival Uber's robotaxi rollout in places like Austin and Atlanta.
Both companies envision a mixed fleet of human- and robot-driven cars on their networks in the future.
Driving the news: Lyft said Friday it will partner with Benteler Mobility, a unit of European auto supplier Benteler Group, to deploy AV shuttles on its network starting in late 2026.
The companies will begin by deploying shuttles in partnership with airports and cities, but did not provide details.
They could expand to "thousands of vehicles as we bring this service to more geographies around the globe," Lyft said in a blog post.
Riders will be able to book a shuttle ride directly through the Lyft platform.
Zoom in: The purpose-built autonomous shuttles will be produced by Holon, a Benteler Mobility company, in Jacksonville, Fla.
The toaster-shaped, 8-passenger electric vehicles are also being deployed on a new 3-mile circulator route run by Jacksonville's public transit authority.
Another arm of Benteler will finance and own the Lyft shuttles, "with tens of millions of dollars intended for future autonomous fleet expansion," Lyft said.
Context: The partnership builds on Lyft's other AV efforts, including plans to bring May Mobility AVs to Atlanta this summer, and to deploy Mobileye -powered electric robovans starting in Dallas in 2026.
