Lyft May Add Autonomous Vehicles to Ridesharing Platform This Summer

Lyft plans to start adding autonomous vehicles (AVs) to its ridesharing platform as soon as this summer.

“We recently signed agreements with partners like May Mobility, Mobileye and Marubeni to start rolling out AVs on our platform as soon as this summer,” Jeremy Bird, executive vice president of driver experience at Lyft, wrote in a Thursday (March 20) blog post. “And over time, AVs will account for a larger share of cars, and a larger percentage of rides.”

Bird wrote this in a blog post addressing how the debut of AVs may affect the drivers who offer rides through the platform. He wrote that while Lyft doesn’t have all the answers, the company expects that there will still be opportunities for drivers because the addition of AVs won’t necessarily mean there will be fewer rides to be served by drivers.

“Adding cars to our platform — whether they’re driven by humans or AVs — improves arrival times and creates a better rider experience,” Bird wrote. “That gets people to take more rides, creating more opportunities for drivers.”

Lyft CEO David Risher wrote a blog post in February focusing on the rideshare company’s role in the emerging AV ecosystem.

Risher wrote that the company expects to contribute its core competencies having to do with asset ownership and financing, fleet management, the mobility platform and marketplace, and rider demand and experience.

“Our world-class fleet management, sophisticated marketplace engine and large-scale demand represent the best way for AV companies, OEM manufacturers and fleet owners to commercialize their assets,” Risher wrote. “We partner with those companies to bring exceptional autonomous transportation experiences to riders at scale.”

It was reported in February that Lyft aimed to bring autonomous robotaxis to its app in 2026. The company said at the time that the robotaxi service would launch first in Dallas, with the goal of scaling the service to thousands of vehicles across multiple cities following that rollout.

Risher said during a Feb. 11 earnings call: “AVs will be a transformational addition to the marketplace. “We’ll start in Dallas and we do expect to move into other markets.”