Lyft and autonomous driving company nuTonomy has rolled out a fleet of robo-taxis throughout Boston.
The two companies first publicized their partnership in June and authorities in Boston have only just granted the firms permission to offer Lyft users rides in fully-autonomous Renault Zoe models.
Mashable reports that the program has started in the city’s Seaport district and that all the autonomous taxis will have human drivers behind the wheel in case anything goes wrong. Beyond the program being a vital tool to improve Lyft’s and nuTonomy’s autonomous systems, the program will help to educate the public about driverless cars.
This isn’t nuTonomy’s first rodeo when it comes to a robotaxi service. In fact, it first rolled out the technology in the One-North business district of Singapore in August 2016.
Discussing the program in Boston last month, city mayor Martin J. Walsh said, “Boston is ready to lead the charge on self-driving vehicles, and I am committed to ensuring autonomous vehicles will benefit Boston’s residents. This is an exciting step forward, and together with our public and private partners, we will continue to lead the way in creating a safe, reliable and equitable mobility plan for Boston’s residents.”
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