Uber said on Thursday it will collaborate with autonomous vehicle startup May Mobility to roll out thousands of self-driving vehicles across U.S. cities, beginning with Arlington, Texas, by late 2025.
The agreement adds May Mobility to Uber’s growing network of autonomous vehicle partners as the ride-hailing giant expands its presence in the competitive robotaxi market. The vehicles will initially include safety drivers before transitioning to full autonomy, the companies said.
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“May Mobilityâs robotaxis will initially operate with safety drivers before transitioning to fully autonomous operations,” the companies stated in a joint announcement.
Under the partnership, Ann Arbor-based May Mobility will operate hybrid Toyota Sienna minivans on Uberâs platform. The startup, backed by more than $380 million in funding from investors including Toyota and BMW, has been providing autonomous shuttle services in Arlington since 2021.
Uber has been broadening its autonomous ambitions through partnerships. Last year, it expanded its collaboration with Alphabetâs Waymo and signed new agreements with Chinaâs WeRide and U.S.-based Avride.
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Tesla remains a key rival in the sector, having revealed its Cybercab robotaxi concept in October, with plans to start production in 2026 and launch services in Austin, Texas, this year.
Despite growing momentum, experts remain cautious. Developing self-driving systems continues to face complex engineering and regulatory hurdles. The U.S. federal government has sought to support deployment by easing some safety requirements, while mandating the reporting of incidents involving autonomous vehicles.
May Mobility also announced a separate agreement with Lyft last year to deploy self-driving taxis in Atlanta starting in 2024.