Autonomous shuttle buses to be rolled out by Lyft and BENTELER Mobility partnership

Rideshare giant Lyft is making strides in the autonomous vehicle industry, announcing a series of partnerships that will bring self-driving shuttle buses to its platform starting in 2026.

Lyft is partnering with BENTELER Trading International for fleet financing and ownership. This financial commitment will support the growth of an autonomous fleet over the coming years, with tens of millions of dollars earmarked for the project.

One of the key partnerships is with BENTELER Mobility and HOLON GmbH. This collaboration will see the development of autonomous shuttle buses, designed for shared urban mobility and incorporating Mobileye's self-driving technology. The urban shuttles will be fully bookable through Lyft's existing platform.

The partners anticipate scaling the service to thousands of vehicles, depending on demand and regulatory developments. Early deployments of the autonomous shuttles will target city centres and airports.

In another development, the company Baidu will supply the autonomous shuttle buses for Lyft. These buses, planned to be introduced in the United States starting in 2026, will be Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles. The deployment will utilize Baidu's RT6 electric vehicles integrated with Lyft’s platform.

Close coordination with city authorities and local communities will be a part of the initial testing. Initial testing on Lyft's platform will begin next year.

The partnerships are part of Lyft's broader ambitions to create a hybrid network where human drivers and autonomous systems operate side by side. The aim is to expand the availability of autonomous vehicle options across Lyft's network, which serves over 44 million riders annually.

As the world continues to evolve towards autonomous transportation, Lyft's latest announcements mark a significant step forward in making self-driving vehicles a reality for everyday commuters. The vehicles, once deployed, will be fully bookable through Lyft's platform, offering a seamless and convenient way for users to travel.