Alphabet’s Waymo self-driving car division has inked a deal with ride-hailing giant Lyft to accelerate the development and implementation of autonomous vehicle technologies.
The News York Times received word about the deal from two insiders speaking on the condition of anonymity. They report that Waymo and Lyft will collaborate on a number of pilot projects and product development efforts to bring self-driving technology into the mainstream.
In a statement, a Lyft spokeswoman said “Waymo holds today’s best self-driving technology, and collaborating with them will accelerate our shared vision of improving lives with the world’s best transportation.”
This sentiment was echoed by Waymo who wrote “Lyft’s vision and commitment to improving the way cities move will help Waymo’s self-driving technology reach more people, in more places.”
Waymo and Lyft haven’t specified what products they intend on bringing to the market and to the casual observer, the deal could be quite surprising. After all, Lyft is already working with Chevrolet on testing autonomous vehicles and Waymo has signed a deal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
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