The popular rideshare platform Lyft has announced that starting in 2026, users will be able to request rides via robot vehicles, also known as self-driving cars, the company said. The program will begin in Dallas, with plans to expand this program into different cities.
No timeline has yet been provided for when cities like Los Angeles will get this program — in fact, it has not yet been confirmed that L.A. will be a part of it.
USC has a contractual agreement with Lyft in a program colloquially known as “Fryft,” which allows students to request a free shared Lyft ride from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly.
In an emailed statement, USC Public Relations said, “It is too early to have any information about whether robotaxis will be part of our Lyft program in the future,” when asked about the implications autonomous vehicles could have on the campus program.
USC students have mixed reactions to this upcoming change, the most positive of which came from Angelina Eizaga, a sophomore majoring in business administration.
“When you said that, I gasped. I got really excited because I love Waymos,” Eizaga said.
“I feel like when I’m in the car and there’s no driver… I [feel] more carefree to talk with my friends about whatever I want, playing any music at any volume,” Eizaga said.
This announcement follows the partnership between Lyft and self-driving technology company Mobileye, which was announced last November. The self-driving rideshare platform Waymo, the company Eizaga referred to above, has also exploded in popularity, having recently passed 25 million miles on public roadways.
Naomi Kassahun, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, said she was concerned about the implications for Lyft drivers who rely on rides for income.
“It feels like it’s taking a lot of jobs out [from] of a lot of people,” Kassahun said.
But this removal of the human element of Lyft could have benefits, as Eizaga pointed out.
“I’m never gonna feel uncomfortable, [like] if I had some creepy Uber driver,” Eizaga said.
Benjamin Kim, a sophomore majoring in public relations and advertising, said he was excited about the autonomy that could come with a future collaboration with Waymo because of the possibility of more rider autonomy.
“The vehicles that [Waymo] use now are cleaner in a sense,” Kim said, “and they have a sense of autonomy…. you could change the climate, the music, all those old things that you really can’t control in the Lyft.”
With Undergraduate Student Government elections beginning this coming Tuesday, February 18, this decision could hold relevance for the ticket of presidential candidate Mikaela Bautista and her running mate, Emma Fallon. The ticket has advocated for changes and expansion to the Lyft program.
Fallon, a junior studying political science, was curious how this decision would affect Fryft.
“The program we have now… [is] a big part of campus safety, with traveling at night, and also just convenience for a lot of students,” Fallon said.
The self-driving program’s potential rollout in Los Angeles may seem far away, especially for a potential implementation with “Fryft.” However, the possible rollout of this program remains top of mind for the Bautista/Fallon ticket, given their policy positions on “Fryft.”
“If elected, … we want to immediately start the conversation of ‘Okay, what does this look like?’” Fallon said.
Fallon explained that their ticket’s priorities would be obtaining data from the self-driving Lyft program and hearing from students about potentially incorporating it into “Fryft.” But speaking strictly as a student, Fallon had her own reservations about the program.
“I think safety would be my number one concern,” Fallon said. “I don’t know how comfortable I personally, as a student, would feel in a self-driving vehicle.”