Self-driving vehicle company May Mobility has launched its first on-demand driverless ride-hailing service on public roads in Sun City, Arizona in partnership with transit technology company Via. The milestone is in line with May Mobility’s goal of launching rider-only operations by 2023. It also signals that the soft onramp approach to commercializing autonomy could work for the startup.
Sun City is a planned community for “active, retired adults.” Launching a driverless ride-hailing service in such an environment isn’t as flashy as putting robotaxi on the streets of San Francisco or autonomously picking up and dropping off at the Phoenix airport. But it allowed the company to expand steadily and avoid getting into trouble.
May’s strategy to integrate autonomous microtransit service into existing public transit, in partnership with cities, has also laid the groundwork for future, more challenging deployments. Carlos Cruz-Casas, chief innovation officer at the Miami-Dade County Department of Public Works, told TechCrunch that May Mobility will launch an on-demand transportation service in Miami, also in partnership with Via. Neither May Mobility nor Via immediately responded to TechCrunch for confirmation.
Recall that rival Cruise had begun testing driverless robot taxis in Miami for a day before pulling its entire fleet after an incident in October saw a pedestrian hit and swept away by one of the GM-backed company’s vehicles . Cruise has since suspended its licenses to operate in California and last week laid off 900 employees and some executives.
By keeping her head down and making small deployments, May has so far managed to expand without drama. The startup operates buses on campuses and at designated stops along fixed routes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Arlington, Texas. Most recently, May launched an on-demand service in Grand Rapids, Michigan in partnership with Via. Customers in Grand Rapids can enjoy one of May’s Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS AVs within a designated geographic area.
Steve Miller, a risk management consultant specializing in autonomous vehicles at the Insurance Office of America, told TechCrunch that he expects to see more low-speed controlled buses and on-demand services like those offered by May and competitor Beep. Beep operates autonomous buses to transport residents in the community of Lake Nona in Florida and for public transportation in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Beep also transports guests to Disney’s Celebration and Wilderness Lodge resorts.
“What we’re seeing now as we talk about commercial development is that the industry is really focused on trucking or transportation, like a Beep or May Mobility type bus,” Miller said, noting that the development of advanced Level 2 driver assistance software for OEMs it’s also trending with AV startups. “And the reason these two are leading the charge is that they both have the advantage of being in defined areas of operation. They are in controlled environments. What makes robotics difficult is that there are a number of extreme cases that cannot be modeled at this point.”
For her part, May says the multi-policy decision-making system is well equipped to handle peak incidents. The system “runs real-time, embedded simulations to analyze thousands of possible scenarios every second, choosing the safest one to execute,” according to the company.
Miller says today’s fundraising environment also incentivizes companies to focus on sustainability around core businesses, rather than chasing targets. In November, May raised a $105 million round, bringing her total funding to $300 million.
“I think you’re going to see more of the bus-type operations just because there’s an endless number of cities and towns in the U.S. and there’s a lot of grant money that goes with transit,” Miller said. “So I think you’re going to see interest from cities, airports, transit hubs — there are so many opportunities to connect to mass transit, and I think that’s going to be quite lucrative.”
Sun City self-guided launch
May Mobility’s first rider-only service in Sun City will give a “select group of early riders” the opportunity to request pickup in one of the company’s Autono-MaaS minivans from various stops, according to the company.
The free service will initially operate on public roads Monday to Friday from 4pm. until 6 p.m. A company spokesman said expansion would be imminent but would depend on May’s careful and cautious approach to safety, rider feedback and community trust.
Riders can book the ride-on-demand service through the May Mobility app, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Residents interested in becoming an early rider can apply In connection.
