May Mobility, a developer of autonomous shuttle services, has partnered with TransitTech software provider Via to launch an on-demand autonomous public transit service in the retirement community of Sun City in Arizona. This marks May Mobility’s entry into Arizona as well as the first-ever such deployment in the state.

The companies intend to operate the service on weekdays from 7.00 am to 5.00 pm through resident complexes, recreation centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical centers.

The service also aims to provide insights into how autonomous vehicle technology can be adopted and address mobility challenges faced by older adults.

Analyst QuickTake: May Mobility has a track record of testing its technology in various settings to enhance it and is now adding Arizona to the list. Previously, the company has deployed its tech in geographies including Michigan, Indiana, Texas, Minnesota, and Ohio in climates ranging from humid, subtropical climates to winters. On a separate note, experimenting with autonomous vehicles is not new for Via either. In fact, Via partnered with May Mobility in September 2022, to launch a wheelchair-adapted autonomous transport service for rural communities in Minnesota and also with robotaxi company Motional in early 2022 to start an autonomous robotaxi service in Las Vegas, Nevada.