Uber strikes deal with May Mobility to deploy ‘thousands’ of robotaxis

May Mobility is the latest autonomous vehicle operator to team up with Uber to get more passengers into its robotaxis. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company, which has mainly focused on long-term transportation contracts, says it will deploy “thousands” of autonomous vehicles on Uber’s ridehailing platform across multiple US markets.

May Mobility says its partnership with Uber will kickoff in Arlington, Texas, at the end of 2025. The first vehicles will operate with safety drivers, before transitioning to fully driverless. The companies will expand into new cities starting next year. May Mobility, which is backed by Toyota and BMW, has raised over $383 million over nine funding rounds.

May Mobility currently owns a fleet of autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans, retrofitted with the company’s autonomous hardware and software. The company operates ride-share services in geofenced, easily mapped business districts, college campuses, and closed residential communities, such as Sun City, a retirement community outside of Phoenix.

The deal with Uber is not exclusive to either company. May Mobility also has a partnership with Lyft to deploy autonomous vehicles on its ridehail platform, which launches in Atlanta later this year. Likewise, Uber has been on a streak of striking deals with AV operators as it seeks to become a one-stop shop for robotaxis and autonomous delivery vehicles of all brands. In addition to May Mobility, Uber has partnerships with Waymo, Motional, Avride, WeRide, and Volkswagen for self-driving cars, and Serve, Cartken, and Nuro for delivery robots.

May Mobility has set itself apart by focusing on transportation contracts with businesses and local governments. And while some robotaxis have clashed with cities, May Mobility says its incentivized to address municipal concerns or risk having its contract terminated. The company also recently added to its fleet electric mini-buses that can carry up to 30 passengers, which is hopes to launch next year.