After nearly two years of testing in the two cities, the Amazon-owned company says it’s getting closer to offering rides.
Uber is kicking off the partnership with an initial $300 million investment, while Rivian will provide as many as 50,000 autonomous R2 SUVs.
The launch comes just two years after a major reboot at Hyundai-owned Motional. The service will start with a safety monitor, which Motional hopes to remove by year’s end.
It’s a precursor to launching robotaxis in those cities, though the Amazon-owned company is still waiting for federal approval to commercially operate its purpose-built AV.
The geographic expansions continue for the ride-hailing companies’ robotaxi plans.