Lyft and Motional will launch driverless ride-hailing service in Las Vegas for 2023
There will be a soft launch next year before the automated ride-hailing gig gets off the ground in 2023.
Waymo makes all the headlines for its truly automated ride-hailing service in Arizona, but watch out because here comes Lyft and Motional. The two companies announced Tuesday they will kick off a driverless ride-hailing service in Las Vegas in 2023. Motional will take Lyft's years of experience in the ride-hailing business and apply it to the firm's purpose-outfitted robotaxi, based on the Hyundai Ioniq 5. If you're wondering why the Hyundai ties, Motional is a joint venture company between Aptiv and Hyundai Motor.
There's still a road ahead before a fleet of self-driving Ioniq 5s are ready for duty. The companies plan for a soft launch of the service in the second half of 2022. During this time, Motional and Lyft will invite small batches of riders and take loads of feedback before the big commercial launch in 2023. Still, the beta rides of sorts will be entirely autonomous, the companies said. That will include flagging the robotaxi down, entering the car, enjoying the ride and requesting support if needed.
Once the service is ready, locals will find an option for an autonomous Lyft in a Motional self-driving car within the Lyft app. And Vegas isn't the last stop for Motional, either. The company said this is the first of a multimarket approach to its business with a lot more yet to come.
