Lyft and Waymo Collaborating on Self-driving Rides

Ride hailing firm Lyft and Google’s autonomous spin-off Waymo have announced that they are teaming up on a self-driving car project. The deal includes an agreement for the two firms to work together to bring autonomous technology into the mainstream.

While they are growing, Lyft is still quite far behind market leader Uber when it comes to market share in the ride hailing realm. This deal might help Lyft beat Uber to market with autonomous vehicles and help put it ahead in the long run.

I think autonomous cars will be both good and bad for ride hailing services. They could be great for increasing company profits and providing more accurate and predictable for people hitching rides, but will be bad for the drivers currently making a living by driving.

There is no word on when Lyft and Waymo vehicles might be cruising the streets autonomously at this time.