Ford teams with Lyft to take self-driving cars mainstream

Sept. 27 (UPI) — Ford announced plans Wednesday to work with the Lyft ride-sharing service to take self-driving cars to the masses.

Ford is joining Jaguar, GM, Alphabet’s Waymo and several startups in Lyft’s effort to help create self-driving vehicles.

“Today we’re announcing a significant step toward bringing self-driving vehicles to the masses thanks to a new partnership with Lyft that will help both companies progress toward a more affordable, dependable and accessible transportation future,” Ford said in a statement.

The partnership aims to use their combined capabilities in data experience, fleet management, autonomous vehicle technology and large-scale manufacturing in the new service. Ford said safety is the first priority in getting the program ready for the road.

“Some view the opportunity with self-driving vehicles as a race to be first. But we are focusing our efforts on building a service based on actual people’s needs and wants,” the Ford statement said.