elf-driving cars face a fair number of regulatory challenges before they can hit the road in force. To that end, Lyft recently formed a lobbying group with Google and ride-sharing rival Uber to help guide driverless vehicle laws on the federal level. While some states such as Nevada and California have passed their own laws, the group is hoping for consistent rules that don’t hold back development.
Of course, there are technological challenges as well. To navigate through cities, cars must collect and interpret heaps of data, and must account for everything from weather conditions to unforeseen obstacles. For now, auto makers and tech firms such as Google are testing in a small number of cities—or even city-like testing grounds—to get things right.
Why this matters: While Lyft isn’t the only company testing autonomous cars, it’s the first to announce plans to make the technology available customers. As the program expands, and the cost of hailing a Lyft falls, it could have a major impact on not just on the taxi industry, but on vehicle ownership as a whole.
