Lyft and autonomous vehicle startup May Mobility on Wednesday launched a pilot robotaxi service in Atlanta, marking the first public deployment for the partnership.
The service allows Lyft riders to hail Toyota Sienna minivans retrofitted by May Mobility through the standard Lyft app on routes in and around Midtown Atlanta, including Virginia Highlands, Old Fourth Ward, and Inman Park. Fares are comparable to conventional Lyft rides, and trained operators will be onboard to assist passengers and take control if necessary.
“We’ll start in the single digits of cars, move up to dozens, and over time to hundreds and thousands,” Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s executive vice president of driver experience. May Mobility CEO Edwin Olson said the vehicles are equipped with a redundant drive-by-wire system and a 360-degree sensor suite combining lidar, radar, and cameras.
The pilot underscores Lyft’s broader efforts to integrate autonomous rides into its platform via partnerships, which include collaborations with Baidu in Europe and Mobileye. The vehicles operate as part of Lyft’s hybrid marketplace, allowing riders to select either autonomous or conventional trips.
“This launch with Lyft marks a pivotal moment in the AV industry as we work together to bring driverless operations to Atlanta as part of our goal to deploy more AVs onto the platform over the coming years,” Olson said.
May Mobility currently operates a second autonomous service in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, offering on-demand rides along Technology Parkway. The Atlanta rollout represents an expansion of the company’s presence in the state, reflecting a growing push by AV firms to demonstrate safe and scalable autonomous services.