Lyft and Motional pick Las Vegas for commercial robotaxi launch in 2023

The Lyft Driver Hub can be seen on March 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, California, United States. REUTERS / Lucy Nicholson / File Photo

November 9 (Reuters) – Driverless technology maker Motional AD and US driver service company Lyft Inc (LYFT.O) will launch a fully driverless public transport service in Las Vegas from 2023, the companies said on Tuesday.

The driverless vehicles are provided by Motional, a joint venture between the Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) and the automotive supplier Aptiv (APTV.N), and are based on a Hyundai platform. The vehicles will be used in Lyft’s ride-sharing network.

The companies announced last year that they would launch a US multi-city robotax service in 2023. read more

While Lyft and Motion’s partnership is not exclusive, the companies have been working together on a pilot program in Las Vegas for over three years.

The service would initially be made available to the general public for driver feedback in the second half of 2022, the companies said before launching in 2023.

In early September, Motional announced it was expanding its Las Vegas presence by tripling the size of its test facility, doubling its operations center and hiring over 100 new employees.

Reporting by Akash Sriram and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Arrangement by Krishna Chandra Eluri

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