FILE PHOTO: An empty Lyft pick-up area is shown in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
(Reuters) -U.S. ride-hailing firm Lyft plans to launch "as soon as 2026" fully autonomous robotaxis in Dallas, powered by Mobileye's technology, CEO David Risher said on Monday.
Shares of Lyft rose 4.6% in early morning trading, while Mobileye jumped 17%.
Automakers and technology companies are channeling significant investments in driverless technology, betting it as a key driver of future growth and transformation in mobility.
Larger rival Uber has said Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving unit, will launch its self-driving taxi offering in Austin, Texas, exclusively on Uber's platform next month.
Marubeni, a Japanese conglomerate with experience managing fleets, will own and finance the Mobileye-equipped vehicles that will show up on the Lyft app, Risher said in a post on X.
Mobileye said in November that it was partnering with Lyft to bring autonomous vehicles to the ride-hailing firm's network.
Waymo has expanded its autonomous ride-hailing services to Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin and further plans to expand testing in more than 10 new cities in 2025.
Tesla has also said the automaker will test its driverless car technology in Austin starting June, without providing details on how it would roll out a paid service.
Lyft's launch plan was first reported by TechCrunch.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Sriraj Kalluvila)
