Ford to launch self-driving vehicles on Lyft network in U.S. this year


Ford called the project "an industry-first collaboration" that will result in at least 1,000 autonomous cars on the Lyft network in multiple U.S. cities over the next five years. Photo courtesy Argo AI/Lyft/Ford

July 21 (UPI) -- Ford and Lyft are partnering to provide self-driving vehicles for riders in the United States, and the first will roll out in South Florida later this year, the companies said Wednesday.

The autonomous fleet is being produced by Ford for Lyft and the vehicles use Argo AI. The companies said the first vehicles will begin carrying passengers in Miami in the coming months.

Ford called the project "an industry-first collaboration" that will result in at least 1,000 autonomous cars on the Lyft network in multiple U.S. cities over the next five years.

Riders will be able to book the self-driving Ford vehicles on the Lyft app and Argo AI will use data collected from Lyft to help develop the technology. The companies said the vehicles will have a safety driver to monitor the ride.

Lyft and Uber have decided against their own in-house systems, looking toward outside companies for self-driving technology instead.

"This collaboration marks the first time all the pieces of the autonomous vehicle puzzle have come together this way," Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green said in a statement.

"These three companies share a belief that autonomous vehicles will be a key enabler for a cleaner, safer and more efficient urban mobility landscape," added Scott Griffith, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles & Mobility Businesses.

The companies said the next market to see the self-driving vehicles will be Austin, Texas, in 2022. Ford and Argo AI have already been testing the vehicles across several U.S. markets.

As part of the deal, Lyft will receive 2.5% common equity of Argo AI.