Uber Technologies has announced a new partnership with U.S.-based startup May Mobility, which specializes in autonomous transportation technologies. Under this collaboration, thousands of self-driving robotaxis are expected to be deployed in various cities across the United States. The service is scheduled to launch initially in Arlington, Texas, by the end of 2025.
This move further expands Uber’s list of partnerships in the autonomous vehicle sector, as the company continues to compete with major rivals such as Lyft and Tesla.
In recent years, Uber has strengthened its collaboration with Alphabet-owned Waymo and signed new agreements with Chinese companies WeRide and Avride. These strategic moves aim to solidify Uber’s position as a leader in the growing robotaxi market.
Tesla, on the other hand, unveiled its Cybercab robotaxi concept in October 2024. Production is expected to begin in 2026, with initial services planned for launch in Austin, Texas, later this year.
Experts caution that despite rapid progress, the development of self-driving technologies still faces significant engineering and legal challenges. While the U.S. federal government supports innovation by allowing some exemptions from safety regulations, it continues to enforce mandatory incident reporting.
As part of the Uber-May Mobility partnership, robotaxis will initially operate with safety drivers onboard. In the future, they are expected to transition to fully autonomous operations.
May Mobility is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has raised over $380 million in funding from major investors including Toyota and BMW. The company has been operating in Arlington since 2021. The vehicles used in the partnership will be Toyota Sienna hybrid minivans manufactured in the U.S.
Notably, May Mobility had also announced a similar partnership with Lyft last year, planning to launch driverless taxi services in Atlanta, Georgia.
