Uber is teaming up with May Mobility, a developer of self-driving technology, to make thousands of autonomous vehicles available via the Uber app over the next few years. The partnership will kick off with a launch in Arlington, Texas, by the end of 2025, the companies said Thursday.
“The partnership highlights both companies’ shared ambition to quickly scale AV (autonomous vehicle) use in ride-hail, broadening access to AVs across diverse markets and driving greater consumer choice,” the companies said in a release.
May Mobility previously announced a partnership with Lyft, which is slated to launch in Atlanta later this year. Uber, too, has teamed up with more than a dozen autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo, which is also soon launching in Atlanta.
As part of Uber’s partnership with May Mobility, Uber will give customers the option to choose one of May Mobility’s autonomous, hybrid-electric Toyota Sienna vehicles on qualifying trips. Initially, a safety operator will be on board, before the effort shifts to fully driverless rides.
The companies said they plan to expand to more US cities in 2026.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with May Mobility to continue to scale the availability of autonomous vehicles across the United States,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. “At Uber, we’re building the future of transportation, working with the world’s leading autonomous vehicle developers like May Mobility to help commercialize and deploy this technology quickly at scale around the world.”
For years, Uber worked on building its own self-driving technology, but it sold that operation to Aurora in 2020. It now appears to be focused on building partnerships with existing AV companies.
May Mobility’s self-driving system relies on something called Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology. The company says this platform “applies real-time, human-like reasoning to handle unexpected situations with AI-powered speed and precision,” allowing it to navigate real-world scenarios that spring up in the moment.
The AV service is already available to riders in a handful of cities via the May Mobility app or local transit apps, including in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Peachtree Corners, Georgia; and Miami. Partnering with ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft can help the company expand into more markets and make it easier for people to summon one of May Mobility’s vehicles via an app that’s likely already on their phones.
“Launching on the Uber platform is a big signal to the market that May Mobility is ready to quickly expand to major markets as the pre-eminent autonomy-as-a-service provider,” Edwin Olson, CEO and co-founder of May Mobility, said in a statement. “Uber and May Mobility will make it possible for more people across the US to enjoy the transformative benefits of autonomous vehicles.”
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