Ford and Lyft team up to deploy self-driving vehicles by 2021

Ford and Lyft have joined forces to deploy large numbers of self-driving vehicles by 2021, according to a Reuters report. Engineers at Ford and Lyft will be teaming up to design software to allow Ford vehicles to communicate with Lyft's smartphone apps.

Ford, Vice President, Autonomous Vehicles and Electrification, Sherif Marakby wrote in a Medium post, "Today, we’re announcing a significant step toward bringing self-driving vehicles to the masses thanks to a new partnership with Lyft that will help both companies progress toward a more affordable, dependable and accessible transportation future." He, however, did not comment on when Ford and Lyft will offer the first rides in the self-driving cars.

Apparently, Ford's new Chief Executive Jim Hackett is scheduled to meet with investors next week to outline the automaker's strategy for boosting profitability. Additionally, Ford is testing delivery services using self-driving vehicles and a van shuttle service. The self-driving vehicles which Ford will deploy through Lyft will use the software developed by Argo AI, a company in which Ford will be investing $1 billion over the period of next five years.

"We are focusing our efforts on building a service based on actual people’s needs and wants. We are placing a high priority on safety and dependability so customers will trust the experience that our self-driving technology will one day enable," Marakby further added.