Interested in riding in a self-driving car? Soon, Miami-area Lyft passengers will have that option.
On Wednesday, Ford, self-driving car startup Argo AI and ride-hailing giant Lyft (Nasdaq: LYFT) announced they are partnering to offer automated vehicles to customers in the Magic City beginning late 2021. The program will expand to Austin, Texas in 2022.
“This collaboration marks the first time all the pieces of the autonomous vehicle puzzle have come together this way,“ Logan Green, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Lyft, said in a statement. “Each company brings the scale, knowledge and capability in their area of expertise that is necessary to make autonomous ride-hailing a business reality.”
Pittsburgh-based Argo AI and Ford will deploy the automated vehicles, staffed with safety drivers, on the Lyft network as part of a network access agreement. Lyft reports it aims to have 1,000 self-driving cars across multiple markets over the next five years.
Argo AI will use anonymous service and fleet data from Lyft for safety data and to determine where it may be possible to scale a sustainable self-driving car market. Lyft will receive 2.5% of common equity from Argo AI as part of a licensing and data access agreement.
Scott Griffith, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility Businesses, said the use of autonomous vehicles can result in a fewer accidents and a more efficient mobility landscape. Deerborn, Michigan-based Ford (NYSE: F), Argo AI and Lyft are collaborating to examine how self-driving vehicles can impact transportation access and affordability in major metros, he added.
"This is the beginning of an important relationship between three dynamic companies ultimately aiming to deliver a trusted, high-quality experience for riders in a multi-city, large-scale operation over time," Griffith said.
It's unclear how many takers Lyft will find for its new service.
One recent AAA survey suggests consumers are still warming up the idea of self-driving cars. According to the survey, only 14% of respondents said they would trust an automated vehicle, and more than half said they would be afraid to ride in a car without a driver.
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