Los Angeles residents will soon be able to request an autonomous Lyft.
The ride-hail platform and AV maker Motional have teamed up to launch a fully driverless service in the second-largest city in the US.
Following a rollout in Las Vegas, Motional's all-electric Ioniq 5-based robotaxis will arrive soon in LA—where the "relatively pleasant" weather is conducive to autonomous vehicles and the region's main arteries and intersections are wide and well-marked.
"Greater Los Angeles is the country's largest metro area, home to more than 18 million residents, and a top market for ride-hail demand," Akshay Jaising, VP of commercialization at Motional, wrote in a blog post. Add to that largely flat geography and designated pick-up and drop-off areas, and you're cooking with Level 4 high-driving automation fire.
The option isn't available just yet; both companies promised more details ahead of a formal launch.
Lyft and Motional have worked together since 2018 to provide hundreds of thousands of self-driving rides; in 2020, they announced plans to launch fully driverless vehicles (i.e. no human operator behind the wheel) on the Lyft network in multiple US cities by 2023.
"We want autonomous technology to be a convenient everyday transportation option that can also help improve road safety in Los Angeles," Jaising said, citing a 21% increase in the city's traffic-related deaths and 35% more pedestrian injuries across 2021.
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"Our advanced AV technology helps our vehicles understand where they are and what's around them," he explained. They are programmed to follow traffic rules, meaning the robotaxis won't speed, run stop signs, or drive drunk, distracted, or drowsy. This safety-first philosophy is why our vehicles have driven millions of miles in diverse environments, with zero at-fault incidents, and helped create a safer, shared road experience."
Visitors to The LA Motor Show can check out Motional's Ioniq 5 robotaxi through Nov. 27.
