May Mobility expects to deploy thousands of AVs on the Uber platform over the next few years, starting at the end of this year in Arlington, Texas. // Photo courtesy of May Mobility
Uber Technologies Inc. in San Francisco and May Mobility Inc. in Ann Arbor, a leading autonomous vehicle technology company, have announced a new multi-year strategic partnership.
As part of the partnership, May Mobility seeks to deploy thousands of AVs on the Uber platform over the next few years, with an initial launch planned for Arlington, Texas, by the end of 2025.
The two companies state they have a shared ambition to quickly scale AV use in ride-hail, broadening access to AVs across diverse markets, and driving greater consumer choice.
The new partnership brings together Uber, the global ride-hail market leader, and May Mobility to scale the availability of AV transportation in an estimated $1 trillion AV market in the United States.
Under the agreement, Uber will offer customers the option of a May Mobility AV on the Uber platform on qualifying trips, while May Mobility will provide a fleet of American-made, hybrid-electric Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vehicles equipped with May Mobility’s patented Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology.
The first deployment will launch with onboard safety operators before transitioning to driverless. Following the initial launch in Arlington, Uber and May Mobility intend to expand to additional U.S. markets in 2026.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with May Mobility to continue to scale the availability of autonomous vehicles across the United States,” says Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “At Uber, we’re … working with the world’s leading autonomous vehicle developers like May Mobility to help commercialize and deploy this technology quickly at scale around the world.”
May Mobility’s MPDM platform applies real-time, human-like reasoning to handle unexpected situations with AI-powered speed and precision, making it able to navigate real-world situations without having to rely on predefined scenarios.
MPDM easily adapts to any new scenario or environment, even “edge cases,” an approach that has proven itself in deployments across the U.S. and Japan, including driverless operations in three cities. As a highly efficient approach to autonomous driving, MPDM’s in-situ reasoning can provide a more reliable and safe ride experience.
“Launching on the Uber platform is a big signal to the market that May Mobility is ready to quickly expand to major markets as the pre-eminent autonomy-as-a-service provider,” says Edwin Olson, co-founder and CEO of May Mobility. “Uber and May Mobility will make it possible for more people across the U.S. to enjoy the transformative benefits of autonomous vehicles.”
May Mobility has operated in Arlington since 2021, and the company’s experience there will allow the new Uber partnership to rapidly deploy and expand beyond the existing service area.
More details on the launch will be announced in the coming months.
May Mobility has completed nearly half a million rides across 19 deployments worldwide.
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