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.
Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane.