Lyft forms own autonomous vehicle unit, will open network

FILE - In this March 31, 2016, a Lyft ride-hailing service logo is displayed on a vehicle at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. Lyft is setting up its own unit to develop autonomous vehicle technology, but its approach will be different from other companies and partnerships working on self-driving cars. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing service says it will open its network, inviting automakers and tech companies to use it to haul passengers and gather data. . (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
FILE - In this March 31, 2016, a Lyft ride-hailing service logo is displayed on a vehicle at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. Lyft is setting up its own unit to develop autonomous vehicle technology, but its approach will be different from other companies and partnerships working on self-driving cars. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing service says it will open its network, inviting automakers and tech companies to use it to haul passengers and gather data. . (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

DETROIT (AP) - Lyft said Friday it is setting up its own unit to develop autonomous vehicle technology, but its approach will be different from other companies and partnerships working on self-driving cars.

The San Francisco-based ride-hailing service said it will open its network, inviting automakers and tech companies to use it to haul passengers in their self-driving vehicles and gather data. It may even share computer software and sensor technology.

Raj Kapoor, the company's chief strategy officer, said Lyft is pursuing the open strategy as a way to bring the environmental and safety benefits of autonomous vehicles to market faster. Lyft brings network expertise to the table, he said.

"We believe this is inevitable where the world is going," he said. "We need to be playing this role."

Like other tech companies and automakers, Lyft has partnerships with companies like Google's Waymo autonomous vehicle operation and with General Motors. It does not want to produce cars, but wants to make a standardized system for use on its network. At first, the network will be open to Lyft's current partners.

Just how it would make money off the system is yet to be determined, but it likely would take a cut of passenger fares from everyone who uses its network or shares its system.

For example, General Motors, which has invested $500 million in Lyft, would be invited to run its own autonomous vehicles on Lyft's network. Data gathered by GM and vehicles from other companies would be used to help build high-definition maps needed for the vehicles to navigate streets across the world. The data also would be used to develop computers that would make decisions to run the autonomous vehicles.