May Mobility
May Mobility is an American autonomous-vehicle company that develops and operates driverless shuttle and robotaxi services for cities, businesses, and mobility platforms.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
May Mobility is a privately held American technology and mobility-services company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 2017 by Edwin Olson, Alisyn Malek, and Steve Vozar, the company develops autonomous-driving systems and operates shared transportation services rather than focusing only on selling self-driving software or vehicles. Its customers and partners have included municipalities, public-transit agencies, real-estate and corporate organizations, vehicle manufacturers, and ride-hailing platforms. The company emerged from the autonomous-vehicle research and startup ecosystem around the University of Michigan and participated in the Y Combinator accelerator in 2017. Its operating model is generally business-to-government and business-to-business: May Mobility supplies or integrates autonomous vehicles, manages the technology and fleet, and works with a local partner to provide a defined transportation service. Riders may access those services through dedicated applications or through platforms such as Via, Lyft, and Uber, depending on the deployment. May Mobility began commercial-style operations in June 2018 in Detroit, where electric shuttles transported employees for Bedrock and Quicken Loans. Later in 2018 it operated an autonomous shuttle in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the Smart Columbus initiative. That program delivered approximately 16,000 rides before ending in 2019. The company expanded in 2019 to Providence, Rhode Island, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. In Grand Rapids, the service later evolved into an on-demand transit pilot using Lexus RX 450h hybrid sport-utility vehicles and Via's ride-request technology; the pilot delivered more than 70,000 rides before ending in April 2022. Public-transit integration became a major part of May Mobility's positioning. Its Arlington RAPID service in Arlington, Texas, launched in 2021 and connected autonomous vehicles with the city's public-transit network. The company also ran pilots in Indianapolis and Fishers, Indiana, and launched A2GO in Ann Arbor. During the COVID-19 pandemic, its vehicles were used to deliver food-pantry boxes in Columbus, demonstrating a logistics use case beyond passenger transport. Internationally, May Mobility began working in Japan with SoftBank and tested vehicles at Hiroshima University, on public roads in Tokyo, and at a Toyota manufacturing facility in Fukuoka. Its autonomous-driving system uses a Multi-Policy Decision Making framework, which evaluates possible future movements of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians and selects a driving maneuver. The vehicle sensor suite combines lidar, radar, and cameras. Rather than manufacturing its own complete vehicle, May Mobility generally retrofits commercial platforms with its software, sensors, and control systems. Early deployments used Polaris GEM electric vehicles; later programs used Lexus RX 450h hybrids, Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vehicles, and, in Japan, Toyota's e-Palette platform. May Mobility has funded its expansion through venture investment, including a $11.5 million seed extension in 2018 and a $111 million Series C round in 2022. NTT invested 10 billion yen in the company in 2023. The company continued moving toward unattended and driverless operations, launching a rider-only Toyota Sienna service in Sun City, Arizona, in December 2023 and a driverless public autonomous-vehicle service in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, in February 2025. Announcements in 2025 also described planned robotaxi integrations with Uber and Lyft, as well as a prospective Southeast Asian expansion supported by Grab, subject to regulatory approval. May Mobility's brand is therefore associated with practical, geofenced autonomous transportation deployments and public-private experimentation rather than a consumer vehicle marque.
History
May Mobility was established in 2017 by Edwin Olson, Alisyn Malek, and Steve Vozar and participated in the Y Combinator startup accelerator that year. The founders developed a business around deploying autonomous vehicles in controlled, practical operating environments, with cities and organizations serving as partners and customers. This approach differed from a pure technology-licensing model because May Mobility also supplied operational support, fleet management, and service implementation. In June 2018, May Mobility launched its first service in Detroit. Electric shuttles transported employees for Bedrock and Quicken Loans, giving the company an early opportunity to operate autonomous vehicles in a defined urban setting. Later that year, it joined the Smart Columbus initiative in Columbus, Ohio. The autonomous shuttle program provided approximately 16,000 rides and concluded in 2019. In December 2018, the company announced a $11.5 million seed-extension round involving investors including BMW iVentures and Toyota AI Ventures. Expansion continued in 2019 with services in Providence, Rhode Island, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Grand Rapids program was subsequently upgraded in 2021 to an on-demand transit model. It used Lexus RX 450h hybrid SUVs and Via's ride-request application and ultimately delivered more than 70,000 rides before ending in April 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Columbus fleet was also used to deliver food-pantry boxes, showing that the company's vehicles could support logistics as well as passenger transportation. May Mobility increased its focus on public-transit integration in 2021. Arlington RAPID began in Arlington, Texas, connecting May Mobility's autonomous vehicles with the city's public-transit network and producing more than 28,000 trips in its first year. The company also conducted pilots in Indianapolis and Fishers, Indiana, and launched A2GO in Ann Arbor. That year it entered Japan through a partnership with SoftBank and deployed vehicles at Hiroshima University. Additional Japanese testing took place on public roads in Tokyo and at a Toyota manufacturing plant in Fukuoka. The company's technology is based on a Multi-Policy Decision Making framework. The system models many possible developments involving surrounding road users and chooses a maneuver based on those projections. Vehicle perception combines lidar, radar, and cameras to create a broad view of the operating environment. May Mobility generally installs its autonomous system on existing commercial vehicles rather than producing a proprietary vehicle line. Early deployments used Polaris GEM electric carts, later programs used Lexus RX 450h hybrids, and subsequent services adopted Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vehicles. The company has also integrated its system with Toyota's electric e-Palette mobility platform in Japan. In July 2022, May Mobility raised a $111 million Series C led by Mirai Creation Fund, bringing reported total funding to $194 million. NTT invested 10 billion yen in November 2023. In December 2023, May Mobility launched a rider-only service in Sun City, Arizona, using autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans without onboard attendants. The company continued the transition toward driverless public service with a February 2025 launch in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. May Mobility also pursued distribution through major ride-hailing networks. In 2025 it announced plans for robotaxis on Uber's platform in Arlington, Texas, and reported a first Atlanta robotaxi initiative with Lyft. An investment from Grab was associated with a planned Southeast Asian expansion targeted for 2026, subject to regulatory approval and supported by GrabMaps. These developments illustrate May Mobility's continuing strategy: combine autonomous-driving technology with local operating partnerships and existing mobility platforms to provide geofenced, shared transportation services.
- 2025
Peachtree Corners driverless public service
[1]The company launched a driverless public AV service in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
- 2025
Ride-hailing platform expansion announced
[1]May Mobility announced robotaxi plans involving Uber and Lyft and a prospective Grab-supported Southeast Asian expansion.
- 2023
NTT investment
[1]NTT invested 10 billion yen in May Mobility.
- 2023
Sun City rider-only service
[1]May Mobility launched an autonomous Toyota Sienna service without onboard attendants in Sun City, Arizona.
- 2022
Series C financing
[1]A $111 million Series C led by Mirai Creation Fund brought reported cumulative funding to $194 million.
- 2021
Arlington RAPID begins
[1]May Mobility launched Arlington RAPID and integrated autonomous vehicles into Arlington's public-transit network.
- 2021
Japan operations begin
[1]The company began Japanese operations with SoftBank and deployed vehicles at Hiroshima University.
- 2019
Expansion to Providence and Grand Rapids
[1]The company launched a service in Providence and began operations in Grand Rapids.
- 2018
First Detroit service
[1]May Mobility launched an electric autonomous-shuttle service for Bedrock and Quicken Loans employees.
- 2018
Smart Columbus deployment
[1]The company began operating an autonomous shuttle in Columbus, Ohio, as part of Smart Columbus.
Products and positioning
A deployment-focused autonomous-mobility operator that combines self-driving technology, commercial vehicle platforms, fleet management, and local partnerships to provide shared transportation in defined service areas.
Shared autonomous transportation · 2018
Autonomous shuttle services
May Mobility develops and operates geofenced autonomous shuttle services for cities, campuses, employers, and other organizations. The service typically combines an equipped commercial vehicle with May Mobility's driving system, remote or fleet oversight, maintenance, and local operating support. Vehicles are requested through a dedicated or partner application and run on predefined routes or within defined service areas.
Autonomous-driving technology · 2017
May Mobility autonomous-driving system
The company's autonomous-driving stack uses Multi-Policy Decision Making to assess potential movements by nearby vehicles and pedestrians and select a driving maneuver. Its vehicle perception system combines lidar, radar, and cameras. May Mobility's approach is generally to retrofit existing commercial vehicles instead of manufacturing a wholly proprietary vehicle platform.
Public-transit service · 2021
Arlington RAPID
Arlington RAPID is an autonomous public-transportation program in Arlington, Texas. Launched in 2021, it integrated May Mobility vehicles into the city's broader transit network. The program recorded more than 28,000 trips during its first year and represents the company's emphasis on working with municipal transit systems rather than operating only private demonstration fleets.
On-demand autonomous mobility · 2021
A2GO
A2GO is May Mobility's on-demand autonomous-mobility service in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It uses May Mobility vehicles and service operations to provide rides within a defined local area, illustrating the company's home-market deployment of autonomous transportation for public or shared use.
Autonomous minivan service · 2023
Toyota Sienna autonomous service
Toyota Sienna vehicles equipped for autonomous operation became the platform for later May Mobility deployments, including the rider-only service introduced in Sun City, Arizona. The vehicle platform supports passenger transportation without an onboard attendant in the service model described for that deployment.
Mobility-as-a-service vehicle integration
Toyota e-Palette integration
In Japan, May Mobility integrated its autonomous-driving system with Toyota's e-Palette battery-electric mobility-as-a-service platform. The work extended the company's retrofit and integration model to a purpose-built electric vehicle platform.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Columbus food-pantry delivery effort
Columbus, Ohio, United States
During the COVID-19 pandemic, May Mobility repurposed autonomous vehicles to deliver food-pantry boxes in Columbus.
Outcome. The effort demonstrated a non-passenger logistics application for the company's autonomous fleet.
Brand decisions
2025
Expand robotaxi distribution through ride-hailing platformsStrategyBackground
May Mobility sought to make autonomous rides available through established consumer mobility applications.
Action taken
The company announced plans involving Uber in Arlington and launched a robotaxi initiative with Lyft in Atlanta.
Aftermath
The initiatives connected May Mobility's autonomous fleet and operating capabilities with major ride-hailing distribution channels.
2025
Plan Southeast Asian expansion with GrabStrategyBackground
May Mobility received investment from Grab and identified Southeast Asia as a prospective new operating region.
Action taken
The companies planned a 2026 expansion using GrabMaps to support deployment, subject to regulatory approval.
Aftermath
The expansion was described as prospective rather than fully operational at the time of the announcement.
2023
Move toward rider-only autonomous operationGeneration changeBackground
The company pursued increasingly unattended service as its operating and autonomous-driving systems matured.
Action taken
May Mobility launched a rider-only Toyota Sienna service in Sun City, Arizona, without onboard attendants.
Aftermath
The launch preceded the company's later driverless public service in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
2021
Shift toward transit-integrated and on-demand servicesStrategyBackground
May Mobility's deployments increasingly involved public-transit networks and on-demand ride requests rather than fixed-route demonstrations alone.
Action taken
The company launched Arlington RAPID, operated pilots in Indiana, and used Via's application for the upgraded Grand Rapids service.
Aftermath
The approach produced measurable public-service usage, including more than 28,000 Arlington trips in the first year and more than 70,000 Grand Rapids rides over that pilot's life.
Recent events
- 2025
Driverless public autonomous-vehicle service launches in Peachtree Corners[1]
Product launch
May Mobility launched a driverless public AV service in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.
- 2025
May Mobility announces Uber robotaxi plans in Arlington[1]
Product launch
The company announced plans to launch robotaxis on the Uber platform in Arlington, Texas.
- 2025
May Mobility and Lyft launch Atlanta robotaxi initiative[1]
Product launch
A joint initiative with Lyft was reported to have launched May Mobility robotaxis in Atlanta.
- 2025
May Mobility plans Southeast Asian expansion with Grab[1]
Other
Following an investment from Grab, the company announced a planned Southeast Asian expansion for 2026, subject to regulatory approval, using GrabMaps for deployment support.
- 2023
NTT invests in May Mobility[1]
Other
NTT announced a 10 billion yen investment in May Mobility.
- 2023
May Mobility launches rider-only service in Sun City[1]
Product launch
The company introduced a service without onboard attendants in Sun City, Arizona, using autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans.
- 2022
May Mobility raises Series C funding[1]
Other
A $111 million Series C led by Mirai Creation Fund brought the company's reported total funding to $194 million.
- 2021
Arlington RAPID launches in Texas[1]
Product launch
May Mobility integrated autonomous vehicles into Arlington's public-transit network; the service recorded more than 28,000 trips in its first year.
- 2021
May Mobility begins Japan operations with SoftBank[1]
M&A
The company began international operations through a SoftBank partnership, including autonomous-vehicle deployment at Hiroshima University.
- 2020
May Mobility adapts vehicles for food-pantry deliveries[1]
Other
During the COVID-19 pandemic, May Mobility used autonomous vehicles to deliver food-pantry boxes in Columbus, Ohio.
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