May Mobility has launched its first driverless service for riders on public roads in Sun City, Ariz. May Mobility’s rider-only vehicles, which leverage its proprietary Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology, will operate daily during the week without an operator sitting in the driver's seat. Sun City represents the first of many communities globally where May Mobility aims to launch its rider-only transit services to transform cities by providing accessible, safe and reliable transportation.
"Today, we take the key step of beginning rider-only operations, a cornerstone for our commercial growth and expansion moving forward," said Edwin Olson, CEO and co-founder of May Mobility. "We believe it is critical to work closely with our key strategic partners, regulators, insurers and riders, as we roll out our technology step-by-step."
MPDM runs real-time, on-board simulations to analyze thousands of possible scenarios every second, choosing the safest one to execute.
“May Mobility has built a more scalable autonomy solution at a fraction of the cost of other systems of a similar maturity and as we continue to expand and improve our driverless operational design domain, we step closer to our goal of being the first profitable AV company,” said Anna Brunelle, chief financial officer of May Mobility.
Before transitioning to its rider-only service, May Mobility vehicles began operating on public roads in Sun City with a safety operator in April 2023. The company launched its on-demand autonomous public transit service with TransitTech company Via Transportation to serve the retirement community of Sun City and provide greater access to affordable mobility with shared, on-demand autonomous vehicles (AVs). The service was designed to allow the aging population to gain increased freedom and mobility safely and reliably.
Through May Mobility’s first rider-only service, a select group of Early Riders in Sun City will have the ability to request a pickup in one of May Mobility’s Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vehicles from a variety of stops. The rider-only service will initially operate on public roads Monday through Friday in the afternoon and will be available at no cost to Early Riders.
May Mobility’s rider-only service will be powered by Via and will serve resident complexes, medical centers and other key locations. The Early Riders consist of a group of Sun City residents with varying transportation needs. Their feedback will play a pivotal role in shaping how the company continues to ramp up rider-only operations, keeping safety in mind at every step, and how AVs can be successfully used in public transit.
May Mobility expects to significantly expand its rider-only services as part of its plan to improve transportation across markets.
