Arlington first to pilot Uber autonomous rides
02 May 2025
by William Thorpe
Arlington is set to become the first US city to integrate autonomous vehicles (AVs) into Uber’s ride-hailing platform through a new multi-year strategic partnership with May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle technology company.
The initial deployment in the Texan city is scheduled for late 2025, with plans to expand to additional US markets in 2026.
Under the agreement, Uber will offer customers the option of a May Mobility AV on the Uber platform for qualifying trips. May Mobility will provide a fleet of American-made, hybrid-electric Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vehicles equipped with its patented Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology. The service will launch with onboard safety operators before transitioning to driverless operations.
“Arlington has been a fantastic partner over the years and shares our vision for how AVs can support public transportation,” said Edwin Olson, CEO of May Mobility. “This next phase lets us demonstrate how AVs can be part of an integrated, equitable and accessible mobility ecosystem.”
May Mobility’s MPDM platform applies real-time, human-like reasoning to handle unexpected situations with AI, enabling vehicles to navigate complex urban environments without relying solely on pre-programmed scenarios. The company has previously deployed similar services across the US and Japan, including fully driverless operations in three cities.
Arlington has partnered with May Mobility since 2021, piloting AV shuttles as part of the city’s RAPID (Rideshare, Automation, and Payment Integration Demonstration) programme. This prior experience is expected to aid deployment efforts.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with May Mobility to continue to scale the availability of autonomous vehicles across the United States,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “At Uber, we’re building the future of transportation, working with the world’s leading autonomous vehicle developers like May Mobility to help commercialise and deploy this technology quickly at scale around the world.”
Image: Uber Technologies
