Miami will be the First Test Market for Lyft’s Self-Driving Cars

Lyft has been competing with Uber since it first launched its services in 2012. Now Lyft has the upper hand in the market because for the first time ever, Lyft will be launching a self-driving 'robotaxi' services in Miami.

Lyft has partnered with Argo AI, an AV startup that is backed by Volkswagen and Ford to bring artificial intelligence into ride-sharing. Launching in Miami later this year and Austin, Texas next year.

According to the press release today surrounding the partnership and ride-sharing initiative. Ford has promised to bring full-scale autonomous vehicles for the public that could make more reliable predictions than other self-driving cars on the market. For this self-driving car, Ford has built a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, but there are currently no renderings or photos available.

During the transition, Ford along with Argo will be inviting members of the general public to ride in autonomous vehicles for consumer testing. The first fleet of cars to start in Miami will feature less than 100 cars. According to Argo, they expect to have more than 1,000 vehicles across several markets in the U.S in the next 5 years.

The technology itself has been tested in Miami for several years prior to this announcement. According to the press release, these vehicles will be available on the Lyft platform in Miami by the end of the year. The vehicles will include 2 'safety drivers' in the front and passenger seats.

Argo is also is preparing to launch an autonomous delivery service with Volkswagon in Germany by 2025.