rewrite this title Lyft to add autonomous shuttles in 2026 as Uber inks more self-driving deals | TechCrunch

Lyft will add autonomous shuttles made by Austrian manufacturer Benteler Group to its network in late 2026, the company announced Friday. The shuttles will be deployed in partnership with U.S. cities and airports, according to Lyft, but could expand out from there if things go well.

The partnership will let Lyft use urban electric shuttles made by Benteler’s mobility division under the Holon brand. The shuttles will not have a steering wheel or pedals and will feature inward-facing seats for up to nine seated and six standing passengers, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the Benteler partnership on Friday

The tie-up comes amid a flurry of announcements from Lyft’s main rival, Uber, which has recently added robotaxis from Waymo and WeRide in various cities around the world. Uber is also working on adding robotaxis from Baidu, Pony AI, Momenta, May Mobility, Volkswagen, Wayve, and just last week announced a deal with Nuro and Lucid Motors.

Despite years of testing with various partners, Lyft is still working on adding autonomous vehicles to its own fleet of vehicles. The company plans to put AVs from May Mobility on its network in Atlanta later this year. It’s also working with autonomy provider Mobileye, though it’s not clear who would make those vehicles.

Mobileye’s tech is what powers the Holon shuttles, though Lyft told Bloomberg that these aren’t the same deals.