Shared AVs on the Road – May Mobility Is Changing the Way We Move
There are many reasons why autonomous vehicles are not yet widely adopted around the world. One of the biggest challenges lies in the technology itself, as these vehicles still struggle to manage unpredictable road situations, respond to sudden changes in traffic behavior, and adapt to the complexity of real-world environments.
On top of that, while many companies pour their efforts into developing fancy technology, they often overlook the importance of creating solutions that are tailored to the specific mobility needs of different regions. Mobility is not a one-size-fits-all concept, because what works in one city or country may not work in another.
While it may seem like the day when AVs become part of our daily lives is still far off, one company has significantly shortened that distance – May Mobility. The company has developed a solution that not only addresses these two key issues but also tackles additional challenges that have hindered the widespread adoption of AVs.
Edwin Olson’s Vision for Shared Autonomous Transport
Edwin Olson grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, and from an early age he was fascinated by building things and solving problems. That passion led him to study engineering, and he eventually spent 13 years at MIT focusing on computer science and electrical engineering.
During that time, he became deeply involved in robotics and took part in the DARPA Urban Challenge, a groundbreaking competition that pushed the boundaries of self-driving technology. After earning his PhD from MIT in 2008, he took an unexpected path by joining the University of Michigan to advance autonomous vehicle research, and led the team that won the 2010 MAGIC competition with 14 semi-autonomous robots mapping urban areas.
He later worked on self-driving programs at Ford and co-directed autonomous driving at the Toyota Research Institute.
Edwin spent years doing what most academics do, publishing papers, teaching talented students, and earning tenure. But over time, he realized he wanted to move beyond theory and apply his research to real-world problems.
“I’ve always been less interested in proofs of concept and more interested in solving real-world problems,” shared Edwin.
He added, “I looked around and saw all these problem domains where robots were a solution to real problems that are important to society, and that’s what led to May Mobility. How do we take the technology that we have into the world and actually generate impact and improve people’s lives with it?”
That drive led him to co-found May Mobility in 2017, aiming to bring autonomous transportation to communities where it could make a difference.
May Mobility – Tackling the Paint Point of AVs
To lead the charge in making AVs part of everyday life, May Mobility has stepped up with a solution that cracks some of the toughest challenges holding the industry back.
Make Driverless Mobility Safer with the Ability to Handle Unexpected Situation
At May Mobility, safety is at the heart of everything they do. Their advanced sensor stack and Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) platform continuously simulate and assess road conditions, enabling their vehicles to anticipate hazards and respond quickly and accurately.
Each vehicle includes multiple layers of protection, such as redundant power and sensor systems, a fallback safety system, and real-time tele-assist monitoring to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users.
May Mobility is also among the first autonomous vehicle companies committed to aligning its safety program with UL 4600, the industry’s leading standard for fully autonomous systems. Their Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment highlights how these technologies and practices work together to deliver safe, efficient, and equitable transportation.
Tailor Made Solution for Each City
Speaking from his experience, Edwin observed that most people viewed AVs as robo-taxis or self-driving personal cars.
He realized those models don’t actually benefit cities in meaningful ways since they could even worsen issues like congestion and inefficient land use. Instead, he believes the real potential of autonomous technology lies in helping cities become more sustainable, efficient, and livable by improving how people move.
That’s why May Mobility focuses on working directly with cities to solve local transportation challenges. They collaborate with municipalities to identify transit deserts, which are areas where residents have limited access to public transportation, and deploy the right kinds of autonomous vehicles to fill those gaps, connecting people to the destinations they need.
“One of the things we wanted to do was figure out how to bring autonomous technology to make cities more beautiful, more sustainable, make better use of land, and get people where they want to go. And a lot of that means working with cities directly to help them solve some of their hardest transportation problems,” said Edwin Olson.
He added, “today we primarily work directly with cities and the cities know where their transit deserts are, you know we’ve got this population over here which may not have good access to public transit or we have this area over here where we’re trying to turn them into transit users, and so we work with the city to provide the right kinds of vehicles to transport that population wherever they’re headed.”
Today, May Mobility operates in over 10 cities across North America and Japan, covering a wide range of environments. Their presence spans from large cities like Detroit and Miami to midsize areas such as Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Arlington, Texas, and even to smaller rural communities like Grand Rapids, Minnesota, a town of only 14,000 people in the far north where snow can reach six feet high.
They also operate in Japan, from Tokyo to Nagoya to Kyushu, and in warmer regions like the Sun Belt, where conditions are ideal for autonomous driving.
This broad reach makes May Mobility one of the most geographically diverse companies in the autonomous vehicle industry. Their technology has proven adaptable not only to different weather and road conditions but also to varied driving cultures. A pedestrian in Detroit behaves very differently from one in Tokyo, yet May Mobility’s system can handle both environments smoothly.
“A pedestrian in Detroit behaves very differently than a pedestrian in Tokyo, and we have been able to show that our technology can be adapted to these wildly different climates and wildly different driving cultures,” Edwin shared
How can May Mobility Benefit the World?
May Mobility’s vehicle lineup includes Toyota Sienna Sienna minivans and Tecnobus electric minibuses. The Siennas are equipped with autonomous technology and used for short city routes and shared rides. The Tecnobus models, introduced in 2025, carry up to 30 passengers and support wheelchair access, making them ideal for campuses, airports, and public transit.
The team claims these vehicles bring meaningful benefits to society. They not only deliver high-quality performance but also help address key transportation challenges through smart, innovative solutions.
Sit Back and Enjoy – Better Experience than Self-Drive
As someone who’s shaping the future of transportation, Edwin believes that when people truly need transportation, their practical needs outweigh any fear or hesitation about using new technology.
“The idea here is that if you can provide a rider experience that is competitive with—or better than—driving yourself downtown, that’s how you start converting commuters into public transit users. Giving people the space, the comfort, and the ability to be productive while they’re in transit is a huge part of that,” he stated.
If someone urgently needs to get to the airport, the grocery store, or a doctor’s appointment, they will choose the option that gets them there quickly and easily, even if it is an autonomous vehicle. And once people experience the convenience of the ride, they’re likely to make AVs a regular part of their lives.
“The number one thing that I think we see consumers optimize for is convenience. How do you make the entire process frictionless from ride hailing to the car showing up to you unlocking the doors to you getting to your destination? So that you can worry less about all of the mechanics of getting a car and just go,” he articulated.
Edwin added, “I think this is one of the things that people really dislike about today’s rental car. That it is super inconvenient. I made the reservation, and I still have to check in at the dang desk for no apparent reason. Like it’s not convenient. And so, the winners in this space will be the ones that can provide this really frictionless service.”
May Mobility’s advantage is convenience. The company focuses on making every part of the journey simple and effortless. They also combine convenience with an emotional connection. The company doesn’t just make transportation easy and seamless; it also creates a sense of empowerment and freedom for its users.
“If people feel a certain emotion when using it and they like that feeling, then that’s going to help. And for us, part of that feeling that we’re going for is that you have control over your life, that you get to go where you want, that you’re empowered. It’s a sense of freedom — the same sort of freedom that I might have had when I was sixteen and got my driver’s license. Getting my driver’s license was my symbol of freedom and independence. Hailing a mobility vehicle today can be like getting your driver’s license for people who now care less about owning a car but still care about freedom,” he explained.
Wheelchair Accessible Mobility
One special thing about May Mobility vehicles is their wheelchair accessibility. The company has long been one of the few autonomous vehicle operators that provide vehicles designed to accommodate passengers who use wheelchairs.
May Mobility doesn’t include wheelchair accessibility as a marketing feature; they design it because they genuinely understand the needs of people with disabilities.
Their May Mobility Sienna model was built with real-world challenges in mind. In the U.S., many people who rely on wheelchairs use paratransit services to get to appointments, but these rides often prevent caregivers or companions from joining them. May Mobility’s vehicles address this problem by providing enough space for both the wheelchair user and their support person to ride together.
“If you’re wheelchair bound here in the US, typically if you need to go to an appointment or something like that, you can schedule a paratransit ride to pick you up from your home, take you to your appointment, and then bring you back. The pain point of that though, is if you have a caretaker or someone who goes with you to the appointment, they actually can’t ride in the vehicle with you when you get picked up, so then they have to drive themselves separately,” said Tom Wang, May Mobility’s CPO.
He continued, “What I love about our May cars is that we have the ability to load a passenger with a wheelchair, and then there’s still space for a caretaker or support person, or even a couple, to be able to go on that same ride with them. That really changes things. When you think about the experience of needing to leave your home to get some care or get some help, and having your person with you, that’s really different.”
Reducing Traffic Congestion with Shared Mobility
According to Edwin, shared mobility is the key to reducing traffic. Personally owned cars and regular robotaxis only make congestion and parking worse. If more people share rides, cities can have fewer cars on the road, use land more efficiently, and keep traffic moving.
Edwin explains that if the average car carried just three people instead of one or two, it would make a huge difference—less traffic, fewer lanes needed, shorter red lights, and smoother travel for everyone.
“Shared mobility is the only way that you can address congestion. You need to address better land use and parking, getting rid of parked cars, but also how do you get fewer vehicles on the road, and you can only do that by putting more people on a single vehicle,” he stated.
This belief drives the company’s mission to promote shared rides in autonomous vehicles, creating a smarter and more sustainable way to move around cities.
Lower CO2 Emissions
May Mobility uses smart technology like cameras and sensors to help their self-driving cars move through cities more efficiently. These vehicles can choose the best routes, avoid traffic, and get people to their destinations faster. Because they spend less time stuck in traffic or idling, they produce fewer harmful emissions like carbon dioxide (CO₂), which helps keep the air cleaner.
When discussing how autonomous vehicles can help reduce emissions, it’s important to refocus on the idea of shared mobility. The more people share rides, the fewer cars are needed on the road. This leads to less traffic, lower emissions, and a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.
Studies back this up. One study from Ohio University says that using self-driving cars could cut emissions by 60%. Another study from the University of California says that if these cars are electric and shared, they could reduce greenhouse gases by up to 80% by the year 2050.
May Mobility wants to be part of public transportation systems to offer a cleaner, smarter way to travel. Their goal is to help cities become healthier and more sustainable by reducing pollution and making transportation easier for everyone.
May Mobility Builds Quality Over Hype
May Mobility’s approach is deeply inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, which means continuous step-by-step improvement. Instead of chasing flashy announcements or hype, the company focuses on making real progress by improving its technology, expanding the business, and showing results through action. Their philosophy is to prove their impact through steady progress rather than words.
“We really want to just go and build the company, build the technology, advance it one step at a time, rather than tell people what we’re doing, show them what we’re doing one step at a time,” Edwin Olson stated.
Unlike most tech startups that market directly to consumers, May’s primary customers are transportation departments and large enterprises. As a result, while the company’s name may not be widely recognized by the general public, it has earned a strong reputation within the public transit sector.
May Mobility Doesn’t Chase Inflated Valuations
Financially, May Mobility avoids the common startup trap of chasing inflated valuations. While it’s exciting to see high numbers during funding rounds, the real challenge is ensuring the company remains investable in the long term. If a startup raises too aggressively and burns through its cash before reaching profitability, future investors may see no viable path forward.
May Mobility manages this risk carefully. With each round of funding, they aim for growth in valuation that reflects real progress—achieving milestones and demonstrating strong performance—while leaving room (“headroom”) for future investors to come in confidently. This discipline helps the company maintain healthy financials and long-term sustainability.
“At every raise, we’ve been very thoughtful, we want an increase in valuation because we’ve had a great year, we’ve achieved X, Y, and Z. But we know we’re going to have to do another capital raise in another year or two, and so we have to leave headroom in there so that those investors are excited and motivated,” Edwin explained.
He added, “If you don’t do that, you end up burning out of cash. You end up running out of cash as a company that was worth many billions of dollars, because nobody’s going to invest. It’s an uninvestable company at that point.”
May Mobility has raised a total of $383 million through nine funding rounds, demonstrating strong investor confidence in its autonomous vehicle technology and business model. These rounds span from early seed investments to late-stage funding and include a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
In total, May Mobility has drawn support from 41 institutional investors. Toyota Ventures has been involved since the seed round in 2018, and Tokyo Century led the most recent Series D round in March 2024.
To further push the progress of autonomous vehicle (AV) adoption, May Mobility has partnered with companies across mobility, finance, and technology sectors.
Their collaboration with Lyft allows riders to book autonomous vehicles directly through the Lyft app, making AVs more accessible to the public. They’ve also teamed up with MUFG Bank to develop new fleet ownership models and expand operations in the U.S. and Japan.
In addition, their partnership with Via helps integrate AVs into public transit systems, launching on-demand services in cities like Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
