Ford has announced that it has teamed up with Lyft to develop self-driving cars that will be more accessible to the masses. The two companies hope their partnership will help them “progress toward a more affordable, dependable and accessible transportation future.”
“Someday, when you open the Lyft app during a period of high demand, Ford and Lyft software will need to be capable of quickly dispatching a self-driving vehicle so that you can get to your destination as quickly and as safely as possible.”
What Lyft brings to the table is its network of customers and knowledge of transportation flow within cities. Ford has more experience with autonomous vehicle technology development and large scale manufacturing. Both companies also bring their fleet management and big data experience.
“Some view the opportunity with self-driving vehicles as a race to be first. But we are focusing our efforts on building a service based around actual people’s needs and wants. We are placing a high priority on safety and dependability so customers will trust the experience that our self-driving technology will one day enable.”
As Ford and Lyft continue to test the self-driving technology, Ford will connect its self-driving test vehicles to Lyft’s network. Initially Lyft customers will not be able to ride in the test vehicles, but the goal is to have the self-driving cars operating with Lyft’s current drivers to add extra vehicles in the fleet when there is high demand.
The new partnership isn’t the first for Lyft, since it has already teamed up with GM and Waymo.
Source: Ford
