Driverless rideshare in Arlington is getting an expansion with Uber and May Mobility, the two companies announced in a news release.
The deployment is expected sometime late this year.
The partnership will allow Uber customers in Arlington to select the option for an autonomous vehicle, or AV, when calling for a ride, according to the news release. Early trips will have a “onboard safety operator” to monitor the trips, but that person will not be driving the vehicle.
Daisy Wall, senior director of business for May Mobility, said she hopes people will get into these vehicles and realize they're not a thrill ride.
"We believe that we'll bring great service to riders and then also safe service to riders," Wall said. "It'll be an experience, obviously, for anyone who comes to Arlington, and we hope that when they get into an autonomous vehicle they'll be like, 'Hey, you know, this is kind of boring actually."
All vehicles in the fleet will be Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS, according to the release.
The city has had driverless May Mobility vehicles on its streets since 2022, with a limited-service area focused around downtown and UT Arlington. May now offers an average of 1,000 rides per week in Arlington, with more than 100,000 since it started.
Uber and May said in the news release the partnership will allow them to “rapidly deploy and expand beyond the existing service area.”
Uber did not respond to a KERA News request for an interview.
Ann Foss, the manager of planning and programming for the city's transportation department, said the city is not a part of the partnership between Uber and May. But they are excited about the decision to start the program in Arlington.
The city first introduced autonomous vehicles to the city in 2017, she said, and Arlington wants to stay at the front of driverless vehicle deployment.
"We're very excited about the partnership and the ability to continue having autonomous vehicle operations in Arlington," Foss told KERA News. "Our first AV deployment was in 2017, and we've done a lot with AVs over the years and have really been at the forefront of AV testing and deployment in the United States, so we're excited for this next phase of that."
Wall said May Mobility wanted to expand already-existing service in Arlington because of its experience with Arlington through the RAPID (Rideshare, Automation and Payment Integration Demonstration) program. Cooperation with the city has helped May understand needs and demands of riders, evolving the way May does business.
"The city has been great partners both in terms of supporting us through understanding riders there and their needs, demand and supply, and then also really supporting innovation," Wall told KERA News.
The partnership comes as Arlington’s RAPID program nears its end. The program was funded by city, Federal Transit Administration and the North Central Texas Council of Governments dollars.
Foss said the partnership between Uber and May will not receive taxpayer funding. RAPID funding ends this summer, meaning even May Mobility vehicles operating in the UT Arlington and downtown area will not have subsidies.
Arlington also offers Via, a subsidized rideshare service that acts as the city’s public transit system. Riders meet the rideshare vehicle within two blocks of their original location and are dropped off within two blocks of their destination with rates from $3 to $5.
Via price increases may be part of the city’s efforts to close a budget deficit expected next year, City Manager Trey Yelverton told the city council at a planning meeting April 29.
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