Lyft completes 50,000 self-driving rides in Las Vegas

Uber rival Lyft has announced that 50,000 self-driving journeys have been covered by users of its service in Las Vegas.

Alongside partner firm Aptiv, the American ride-hailing app company launched the option of self-driving rides in the Nevada city last year. It works in a near-identical fashion to a regular lift, with users having a choice of a variety of car types to call upon.

Not only has the driverless service proven numerically popular, user feedback has reflected its success too. Lyft says the average rating has been 4.92 stars out of a possible five, with 92 per cent of riders saying they felt ‘very or extremely safe’. One customer has even enjoyed the experience so much, they’ve had 14 separate self-driving rides.

Lyft began the self-driving service exclusively in Las Vegas last year following a successful launch at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the same city. It hasn’t yet revealed any plans yet to expand further, though.

The firm, which is the closest competitor in the US to Uber, does not currently operate in the UK, though rumours in recent years have suggested the possibility of a global expansion.