Lyft drops Google Maps for Here and partners with Argo AI

Rideshare company Lyft is changing its maps, which until now were powered by Google. Lyft will now use Here instead. Lyft says the change will mean a better database for locating and address searches as well as more accurate expected arrival times, two important things for a rideshare business.

“Over the past six months, we’ve worked with Lyft to implement and test our robust destination catalog that helps passengers get to more destinations in North American cities. Our services now enrich the Lyft network, at the forefront of innovation in the carpooling industry. said Here CEO Edzard Overbeek.

There may be other motivations for the change. According to Lyft ridesharing manager Ashwin Raj, the change “will improve the efficiency of our market,” but the press release also explicitly mentions the privacy of user data.

Lyft also has a new driverless technology partner. In the past, the company has attempted to build internal capacity, but in April Lyft sold its in-house autonomous driving division to a subsidiary of Toyota.

However, working with external autonomous driving partners seems to be getting better, as Lyft provides the carpooling component necessary to find people to drive in robot axes developed by other companies. Lyft worked with Aptiv and Motional in Las Vegas, with the intention of launching a robotaxi service using electric Hyundai Ioniq 5s in the city in 2023. And Lyft helped Waymo start real business operations in Arizona.

Now Lyft will partner with Argo AI, the autonomous driving company with significant investments from Ford and Volkswagen. Lyft gets a 2.5% stake in Argo and, along with Argo and Ford, will begin adding robots (with security drivers) to its network in Miami later this year and in Austin, Texas, in 2021.