Uber and Motional Launch Robotaxi Service in Las Vegas
Starting today, Uber riders in Las Vegas can be matched with an all-electric Motional IONIQ 5 robotaxi at select locations along the Strip.
- 130,000+
- 72 billion
- 10-year framework agreement (2022)
What Happened
Uber Technologies and Motional, an autonomous vehicle technology company majority-owned by Hyundai Motor Group, have launched a robotaxi service in Las Vegas using the all-electric Motional IONIQ 5. The service is initially available at designated locations along Las Vegas Boulevard, including Resorts World Las Vegas, Encore at the Wynn Las Vegas, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and curbside spots in Downtown Las Vegas and Town Square. Plans are in place to expand the operating area in the future.
Uber and Motional pilot autonomous delivery with Uber Eats in Los Angeles.
Ride-hailing pilot launches in Las Vegas.
10-year framework agreement established for scaling autonomous vehicle adoption.
Commercial robotaxi service launches on Uber in Las Vegas.
Fully driverless operation expected to begin.
- Request an UberX, Uber Electric, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric for a chance to be matched with a robotaxi at no extra cost.
- Unlock and start the trip via the Uber app, with audio cues reminding riders to close doors and fasten seat belts.
- Opt in to Ride Preferences in the Uber app to increase the chance of getting matched.
- Access human support through the Uber app if assistance is needed during the trip.
“We’re excited to take the next step with Motional as we launch autonomous rides in Las Vegas. This milestone reflects our shared commitment to introduce autonomous vehicles in a way that prioritizes safety, increases reliability, and expands access to more ride options for our customers.”
130,000+
From early commercial pilot programs before this launch.
Previously from Motional Inc.
Motional recently released the nuReasoning dataset, the world's largest reasoning-centric open dataset for autonomous driving, containing 20,000 edge case scenarios with 247,000 annotations. This dataset helps autonomous vehicles handle rare situations, supporting the safety of its driverless operations.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Motional Inc.'s official releases.
Why this matters
This launch marks the first commercial robotaxi service integrated with Uber's platform, offering riders a new autonomous transportation option at no extra cost. It demonstrates progress in safe, Level 4 automation and could pave the way for expanded driverless services in other cities. Uber riders in Las Vegas are the first to experience this convenience.
Terms in This Story
- robotaxi
- A self-driving taxi that operates without a human driver.
- Level 4
- A level of driving automation where the vehicle can handle all driving tasks under certain conditions without human intervention.
- FMVSS
- U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that vehicles must meet to be sold in the United States.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.