Ride-hailing leader Lyft is gearing up to introduce fully autonomous robotaxis powered by Mobileye on its platform by “as soon as 2026” in Dallas, with plans to expand into additional markets thereafter, according to exclusive information from TechCrunch.
This announcement comes just a day ahead of Lyft’s release of its fourth-quarter financial results and coincides with Waymo’s upcoming launch of a commercial robotaxi service through Uber in Austin and, later, Atlanta. Additionally, Tesla has indicated intentions to commence its own autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin come June.
Marubeni, a Japanese conglomerate with expertise in fleet management, will be responsible for owning and financing the Mobileye-equipped vehicles integrated into Lyft’s ride-hailing application. Although Lyft has not specified its automotive partner for this venture, Mobileye’s advanced driver-assistance systems are already implemented in vehicles from notable manufacturers such as Audi, Volkswagen, Nissan, Ford, and General Motors, among others.
While Lyft has not revealed the initial number of vehicles to be launched in Dallas, Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s executive vice president of driver experience, shared with TechCrunch that the company aims to significantly scale up to thousands of vehicles across various cities following the Texas debut.
The partnership with Marubeni represents something of a surprise for Lyft; the Japanese firm operates in numerous sectors, including food, real estate, agriculture, and energy, but lacks a significant foothold in ride-hailing and autonomous vehicles.
Nevertheless, Marubeni has been exploring interests in this space over the past few years. In 2021, the conglomerate collaborated with Mobileye and transit planning app Moovit to launch an on-demand mobility service in Japan. TechCrunch has reached out to determine if that collaboration is currently active.
According to Bird, Mobileye acted as a facilitator linking Lyft and Marubeni. For Lyft’s asset-light business approach, securing a partner dedicated to fleet ownership is essential.
“Mobileye brings the technology and OEM relationships, while we offer the platform, making the ownership of the fleet the crucial missing component,” Bird explained to TechCrunch. “Having a partner experienced in fleet management, with the resources and readiness to be a pioneer in this sector, is a game-changer for us.”
Marubeni will utilize Lyft’s Flexdrive service to aid in fleet management and ensure high asset utilization. Flexdrive connects individuals without vehicles to car rentals. Bird noted that Lyft’s experience in fleet management — encompassing vehicle charging, cleaning, maintenance, and operational real estate — will significantly benefit future autonomous ride services.
Bird also pointed out that Lyft is in discussions with all major autonomous vehicle manufacturers to integrate them into the platform. The company appears eager to escalate these conversations, particularly as its main competitor Uber secures partnerships with various AV firms. Aside from Waymo, Uber has announced collaborations with Wayve, Avride, Serve Robotics, Nuro, Aurora Innovation, Waabi, and more.
Beyond its Mobileye partnership, Lyft has only publicly announced plans to roll out autonomous vehicles in collaboration with May Mobility in Atlanta this year.
Despite the gradual approach to offering autonomous ride-hailing services, Lyft’s delays are not due to lack of effort. The company has encountered several obstacles in the AV domain.
Previously, Lyft collaborated with startups Motional and Argo AI to introduce robotaxi services in Las Vegas — which initially included a human safety driver — but intended to transition to fully driverless operations. However, Motional halted that partnership in May after reducing its workforce, while Argo AI ceased operations in 2022, resulting in Lyft incurring a $135.7 million loss due to its stake in Argo.
Prior to that, Lyft pursued in-house development of autonomous vehicle technology, similar to Uber’s route. However, both companies ultimately sold their AV divisions — Uber to Aurora in December 2020 and Lyft to Toyota’s Woven Planet in April 2021.
Bird acknowledged that Uber’s string of AV partnerships “does indeed create a sense of urgency” for Lyft. However, he argued that this also indicates the deployment of robotaxis will not be limited to a single company.
He stated that Lyft’s current focus is on forging solid partnerships with both AV technology developers and companies eager to own fleets of autonomous vehicles, which aligns with its asset-light business model.
“We really want to play an integral role in the rest of the value chain, focusing on fleet management, demand generation, and marketplace dynamics,” Bird added.
Correction: An earlier version of this article inaccurately mentioned Jeremy Bird’s previous title at Lyft.
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