Lyft and Motional Plan Fully Driverless Robotaxi Service in Las Vegas
Lyft and Motional team up to launch a fully driverless commercial ride-hailing service in Las Vegas by 2023. The partnership builds on years of testing in the city and aims to scale autonomous rides through the Lyft app.
Lyft and Motional, a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai, announce plans to launch a fully driverless commercial ride-hailing service in Las Vegas by 2023. Passengers book these autonomous rides directly through the standard Lyft app using Motional’s electric Hyundai IONIQ 5-based robotaxis. This milestone represents the culmination of a working relationship between the two companies that dates back to 2018.
Before the full commercial launch, the companies begin a non-commercial driverless deployment in the second half of 2022. This initial phase allows Motional and Lyft to collect valuable rider feedback and refine the user experience. Nevada previously grants Motional approval to test its vehicles without a human safety driver, paving the way for this public passenger testing.
The choice of Las Vegas comes as no surprise given Motional's recent expansion of its testing facilities and employee headcount in the city. While Motional keeps exact vehicle numbers and specific operating conditions private for now, the partnership holds massive scaling potential. The industry now watches closely to see when this driverless service expands into other major markets like Los Angeles.