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Lyft, Aptiv celebrate 5,000 self-driving rides in Las Vegas

Next time you're in Sin City, consider shuffling between casinos with the help of autonomy.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
2 min read
Aptiv Lyft CES Self-Driving Car
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Aptiv Lyft CES Self-Driving Car

You can't miss the things.

Aptiv

At CES earlier this year, I took a ride in Aptiv's self-driving car, which now operates on the Lyft network, and I called it boring -- but the best kind of boring. It appears many other riders have enjoyed the bore, as well.

Lyft announced on Tuesday that its riders have completed 5,000 rides in Aptiv's self-driving fleet in Las Vegas. The scheme, which was previewed at CES, allows regular Lyft users to hail a self-driving car for quick trips between Vegas hotspots. A safety driver ensures everything is up to snuff, but the car pretty much pilots itself without issue, navigating around traffic with ease.

The ride-hailing company had a few stats to share, too. According to its data, the average passenger rating for Aptiv's autonomous BMW is a perfect 5-star rating. 96 percent of passengers said they'd be willing to take another autonomous ride through Las Vegas, and 20 percent of riders have already taken multiple trips. Riders commented on how well the technology worked, too.

There are currently about 30 self-driving vehicles roaming the streets of Las Vegas on the Lyft network. These sedans are loaded with lidar, ultrasonic sensors and other tech required to operate autonomously. Calling one is as easy as selecting the self-driving option in Lyft's app, provided you're within its area of operation. The rider gets a tablet in the back that tracks the ride, while the BMW's infotainment screen has been tweaked to allow riders to get an idea of what the car's sensors "see" on the road ahead.

Here's the self-driving car you can take around Las Vegas during CES

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