Motional and Lyft Plan First Fully Driverless Ride-Hail Service in Las Vegas
Motional and Lyft announce a fully driverless ride-hailing service launching in Las Vegas in 2023 using the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 robotaxi. This milestone marks the first time the public accesses completely autonomous rides in Nevada.
Motional and Lyft partner to launch the first fully driverless public ride-hail service in Las Vegas starting in 2023. This deployment utilizes Motional’s next-generation all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5-based robotaxi, which users easily access through the standard Lyft app. The initiative serves as the initial phase of a broader, multimarket rollout designed to introduce millions of riders to driverless technology.
This upcoming expansion builds upon a successful three-year history of shared operations between the two companies in Las Vegas. Previously operating with human safety drivers since 2018 under the Aptiv name, Motional now takes a massive leap forward by removing the human element entirely. Passengers finally experience a completely driverless Lyft ride, representing a major milestone for the autonomous vehicle industry.
Leaders from both organizations highlight the strategic importance of this collaboration for future scalability. Motional’s CEO emphasizes that the partnership lays the groundwork for large-scale robotaxi deployments, while Lyft’s CEO points to their network as the ideal platform for mainstreaming autonomous vehicles. Following the Las Vegas launch, the companies plan to quickly scale this fully driverless service across other markets within the Lyft network.