Perhaps an answer to ongoing competition in the rideshare industry, Uber is taking a page out of Lyft’s book by offering robotaxi service in Las Vegas through its partnership with driverless technology company Motional.
Motional, a joint venture between Hyundai and technology company Aptiv, already has autonomous vehicles on the Las Vegas Strip with Lyft. The partnership began in 2018, and since then, Lyft has provided more than 100,000 commercial robotaxi rides in the city. Lyft plans to expand the service to other major cities in the near future.
Uber will join the movement starting next Wednesday, providing customers in Sin City the opportunity to book an autonomous IONIQ 5 mid-sized crossover, a vehicle Motional designed with Hyundai. To help introduce the service and ensure safety and seamlessness, Uber and Motional will have two vehicle operators present in the front seats. In 2023, the partnership aims to transition to a completely driverless service.
To book, customers will need to select UberX or Uber Comfort Electric options. The app will then offer users the option to opt into the self-driving experience prior if it’s available.
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