Lyft plans to launch its fleet of self-driving taxis on Atlanta roads this summer, tapping into the growing interest in autonomous transportation. The company has partnered with May Mobility, a startup backed by investors like BMW i Ventures and Toyota Ventures, to bring autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans to the city. These vehicles will use an autonomous driving system called MPDM, designed to predict the actions of nearby drivers and pedestrians to navigate safely.

According to SiliconANGLE, MPDM is designed to keep operating even when individual sensors fail, ensuring reliability. Lyft will use this technology for its Atlanta service, with plans to expand to Dallas next year. In Dallas, however, Lyft will partner with Marubeni Corp. and Mobileye, an Intel Corp. subsidiary, which provides a competing autonomous driving system.

Lyft's main competitor, Uber, has also entered the autonomous vehicle market. Uber has partnered with Waymo, an Alphabet Inc. subsidiary, to deploy self-driving vehicles in Atlanta and other cities like Austin. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Waymo plans to begin offering public rides in 2025, gradually expanding availability. It is unclear whether these vehicles will operate without drivers in Atlanta.

Despite advances in technology, public concern about safety remains. A survey by AAA last month found that only 13% of U.S. drivers would feel comfortable in an autonomous vehicle. FOX 5 Atlanta also reported that 60% of Americans are hesitant to fully embrace self-driving cars. However, Lyft is moving ahead with its plans to expand its autonomous fleet, with hopes of eventually operating thousands of vehicles.