Lyft will release a fleet of driverless cars in Boston later this year (Reuters)
There may be no need to tip your Lyft driver in Boston later this year — because there may not be a driver.
The ride-hailing company said Friday it will introduce driverless cars to its Beantown fleet later this year — before expanding the program to other cities.
Lyft had announced in June that it was partnering with nuTonomy, the technology company behind the autonomous cars.
Driverless cars will be chosen for particular customers by Lyft depending on traffic, weather, route and time of day, the company said.
“You’re going to see it. You’re going to see these vehicles on the street,” Taggart Matthiesen, Lyft’s senior director of product, told the Washington Post.
Passengers a bit wary of being among the first to experience a ride in a driverless car should be advised that there will be test drivers sitting in the front seats of the driverless cars — just in case.
As the driverless car program expands and becomes more battle tested — and accepted by passengers — Lyft said it will still have a need for “drivers.”
They could become assistants for elderly passengers or even in-car baristas, it said.