In a rather unusual move, Toyota has poured in USD 500 million into car-hailing service Uber to roll out an on-demand autonomous ride-hailing service into the market.
As part of the partnership, Toyota Sienna minivans will be equipped with Uber's self-driving technology and then deployed on the ride-hailing company's network. It will be operated by a third, unnamed fleet operator, TechCrunch reported.
Interestingly the autonomous technology is still in beta and yet to receive government clearances across many parts of the world owing to the safety implications that arrive with it.
Toyota aims to develop the fully autonomous car technology to serve the elderly and the disabled. The pilot of the 'Autono-MaaS' fleet is expected to begin on the Uber ride-sharing network in 2021.
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