Ford Motor Co. and a self-driving vehicle company it partly owns will join with the Lyft ride-hailing service to offer autonomous rides on the Lyft network.

General Motors' Cruise autonomous vehicle unit says it will pull the human backup drivers from its vehicles in San Francisco by the end of the year. Cruise will go neighborhood-by-neighborhood in San Francisco and launch the driverless vehicles slowly before spreading to the entire city, he said. Progress toward autonomous vehicles slowed markedly after an Uber autonomous test SUV ran down a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018. Both Cruise and Waymo program their vehicles to drive more conservatively than humans, but still need to progress safely, Shladover said. He noted that Cruise will tackle easier areas in San Francisco first before venturing into more complex traffic situations.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Autonomous and connected vehicle developer May Mobility is looking to expand its footprint in Ann Arbor. With headquarters in Ann Arbor, May Mobility and operates in cities across the United States, including Grand Rapids and Detroit. In 2019, the AV technology company worked with MEDC and the city of Grand Rapids to form the Grand Rapids Autonomous Vehicle Initiative. The initiative saw autonomous vehicles operating on city streets in Grand Rapids to demonstrate civic infrastructure and operational capabilities of the growing autonomous vehicle market. May Mobility will work with Ann Arbor SPARK to find candidates to fill the anticipated positions.