Ride-hailing platform Lyft has announced a new partnership with BENTELER Mobility to bring autonomous shuttles to its US network from 2026.

The collaboration is intended to broaden access to autonomous transport within urban environments, with initial deployments focusing on airports and city centres.

The vehicles, developed by HOLON GmbH (a BENTELER subsidiary specialising in autonomous mobility), will operate on the Lyft platform and are designed to accommodate shared, on-demand travel.

Equipped with Mobileye’s autonomous driving technology, the shuttles represent a shift toward purpose-built AV solutions, developed specifically for high-frequency, short-distance travel in complex urban environments.

Unlike many AV initiatives that rely on retrofitting conventional vehicles, the HOLON shuttle has been engineered from the ground up for autonomous operation.

A new 100 million USD production facility in Jacksonville, Florida, will serve as a hub for initial output. The facility is part of a wider global manufacturing and integration strategy that BENTELER says can support varied vehicle types and geographies over time.

Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s Executive Vice President of Driver Experience said:

BENTELER Mobility is exactly the kind of partner we need to accelerate our AV ambitions. They’re not just a tech company — they’re closely linked to a massive automotive supplier with deep manufacturing expertise and global reach. Plus, their fleet ownership and financing capabilities mean they have ambitions to own and operate vehicles at scale, not just build them — a rarity in this industry. All this means we can more quickly deploy AVs at the speed and scale our riders deserve.

To support vehicle procurement and deployment, Lyft will work with BENTELER Trading International, BENTELER’s finance and trading arm. The parties plan to invest tens of millions of dollars in growing an autonomous fleet, with the possibility of scaling to thousands of vehicles over time.

Pilot testing is scheduled to begin next year, with further deployments expected from late 2026.

The autonomous shuttles will be available through Lyft’s existing app interface, with a focus on seamless integration alongside human-driven services.

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Lyft will add autonomous electric shuttles to its platform through a partnership with Benteler Mobility, the mobility-as-a-service subsidiary of the Benteler Group. The initial deployment is scheduled for 2026 in the United States, using Holon-branded autonomous shuttles. These will be integrated into Lyft’s network and deployed at locations including airports and city centres.

Benteler Mobility will provide fleet management services, covering the full lifecycle of the autonomous vehicles. The Holon shuttles are equipped with Mobileye autonomous driving systems. Vehicle financing will be arranged through Benteler Trading International to support the scale-up of autonomous operations on the Lyft platform.

Holon’s dedicated $100 million production site in Jacksonville, Florida, will support manufacturing, with additional capacity available through Benteler’s global production network. The shuttles are built specifically for autonomous operation, in contrast to traditional retrofitting methods.

The agreement also includes the possibility of expanding the vehicle types used in Lyft’s AV service. Benteler Mobility’s manufacturing network and experience with regulatory compliance are expected to support future deployments in other regions.

Testing of the new AV shuttles on Lyft’s network is expected to begin in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. The collaboration adds to Lyft’s existing AV partnerships, which include May Mobility, Mobileye, Marubeni and Nexar.

“Benteler Mobility is exactly the kind of partner we need to accelerate our AV ambitions,” said Jeremy Bird, Lyft’s Executive Vice President of Driver Experience. “They bring deep manufacturing expertise and the capability to own and operate fleets at scale.”

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Lyft,” said Tobias Liebelt, CEO of Benteler Mobility. “Their commitment to ride-hailing and our AV capabilities will allow us to scale autonomous mobility solutions.”

Things are also moving ahead in Germany. There, two autonomous vehicle models, one of them being the Holon Urban, will hit the road in a dedicated operational area this year. The vehicle itself was first presented at CES in Las Vegas in 2023. 

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·  Namma Transit integrates metro, auto, and cab services into a seamless journey planner

·  Built on ONDC, with real-time updates and future BMTC bus integration

·  New mobility report sets 2030 goals cut commute time, emissions, and boost public transport use

As Bengaluru battles increasing traffic jams and longer travel times, ride-hailing app Namma Yatri has introduced Namma Transit an integrated mobility feature that promises to change the face of Bengaluru’s commuting pattern. The feature unifies metro rides, autorickshaws, and cab trips under a single real-time trip planning platform.

The launch has come at a time of 16% increase in the average commute times in the city, with a standard 19-kilometer ride now taking about 63 minutes. Namma Transit hopes to present a smarter and quicker option by walking users through every step of their trip  from determining the nearest metro station and platform to arranging last-mile connectivity through autos and cabs.

Also Read- Mobility App ‘Namma Yatri’ enters Mangaluru!

Now available in phased distribution to some users, a citywide rollout is due within a week.

Fundamentally, Namma Transit is a mobility personal assistant, providing real-time metro timings and intermodal transfer information. The system is driven by the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and is likely to integrate live feed from BMTC buses in the near future, through a collaboration with Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Data for Public Good.

“Public transport isn’t competing with ride-hailing  it’s competing with the increasing number of private cars,” said Shan MS, Co-founder and COO of Namma Yatri. He emphasized the need to balance mass transit with last-mile solutions to decongest the city.

To promote early adoption, Namma Yatri will provide incentives to both users and drivers during the pilot phase.

Along with the launch, the company also published a forward-looking policy document called “Made for BLR: Namma Mobility Blueprint 2030”. Taking inspiration from international mobility models of cities such as Amsterdam, Singapore, and Tokyo, the blueprint maps an ambitious agenda to transform Bengaluru’s transport scenario.

Some of the key objectives of the 2030 blueprint are:

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  Enhancing public transport usage from 48% to 70%

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  Cutting total monthly commute hours from 117 to 57

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  Halving transport-related emissions

The report also calls for the legalisation of pooling and ride-batching, which are expected to deliver both environmental and economic benefits.

“Mobility should feel magical  not like a daily struggle,” the co-founders said. “With Namma Transit, every touchpoint  from trip planning to live alerts  is designed to make public transport the default and most dependable choice.”