AV myth buster: Nothing but robotaxis

For many, it’s still hard to believe that self-driving cars are currently traveling down city streets and have been there for years. For those that reside in cities with access to autonomous vehicles (AVs), it may seem like they all serve the same purpose: automated taxis. But robotaxis are just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, AVs serve communities in a variety of ways. Here are just a few:

Robotaxis

This is your traditional ride-hailing service with an autonomous twist. Pull open an app and request a ride to wherever you need to go within the city limits. You will typically pay an amount based on the distance traveled, as you would with a traditional taxi or ride-hailing service. Robotaxis serve as a convenient way to get anywhere you need to at the time you need to go, and the vehicle comes to you.

Freight & Delivery

From local delivery to crossing state borders, autonomous technology has helped to facilitate the transfer of goods. In the face of a driver shortage, autonomous semi-trucks are under development that can take to the highway to carry the products we rely on across the country. On a smaller scale, autonomous vehicles have also been integrated into some communities to help with restaurant and grocery deliveries.

Microtransit

As the name implies, microtransit is a form of public transportation that focuses on on-demand, shared rides within a designated zone using small or large vans that can go into residential areas more easily than buses. AV microtransit is our specialty. We partner with cities, transit agencies and businesses to pinpoint specific zones with unmet transportation needs and cater our AV service to address them. Riders use an app to book a ride that will meet them at a designated stop at or near their location. A city can contain multiple microtransit zones and each will often help communities have more reliable and affordable access to jobs, medical facilities and stores and serve as a first- and last-mile connection to other public transportation options.

As we turn to level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles to do more of the driving for us, our hope is that cities can be positively impacted in a variety of ways. A recent report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that if AVs comprised just 25 percent of the U.S. motor vehicle fleet, we could see significantly increased safety, enhanced mobility and access, reduced emissions and strengthened economic competitiveness.

At May Mobility, we are actively working to achieve each of those key results by developing cutting-edge autonomous microtransit technology. Through autonomy innovation, our AV fleet can solve real-world problems, improve people's quality of life and create more livable communities made for people—not cars. For example, by using our AV microtransit solution, we can help transit agencies to serve people with disabilities and make transportation more inclusive overall. And if we can help reduce the number of cars on the road by increasing public transit usage, we will have done our part to build a greener and healthier world.