VOYAGE PARTNERS WITH FIRST TRANSIT
>> Working together to provide a safe, reliable, and affordable robotaxi service
Scaling Robotaxis to Those Who Need It Most
We are excited to announce that Voyage is teaming up with First Transit to deploy and operate robotaxis in communities like The Villages. First Transit has 64 years of transportation experience and moves more than 300 million passengers every year. By leveraging such expertise, we will together scale a safe, reliable, and affordable robotaxi service for all.
A Collaborative Approach to Robotaxis
Building a successful door-to-door robotaxi service requires a lot more than just the underlying technology (although that is certainly the first step). It also requires a vast network of other services, such as on-the-ground operations, fleet management, charging, and insurance. Voyage has always been intentional in where we focus our efforts, and as a self-driving technology company, it did not make sense for us to tackle all these challenges alone.
Our go-to-market strategy reflects this attitude. Instead of going it alone, we partner with key players in their respective industries. While robotaxis are new, many of the underlying challenges are not. By leveraging our partners’ experience and expertise, we can launch a more affordable robotaxi service faster.
Voyage + First Transit
First Transit is the industry leader in autonomous mobility solutions, and we are thrilled to be able to collaborate with them. First Transit has over 60 years of hand-on experience in every facet of transportation operations, maintenance, technology, and administration. Whether it is door-to-door or shuttles, wheelchair accessible vehicles, rural or urban transit systems, or ADA paratransit services, First Transit has done it all. They operate in 335 locations, carrying more than 300 million passengers annually throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. As their name suggests, they understand transit.
With First Transit’s extensive transit mobility experience, logistical challenges like deploying, servicing, and charging thousands of vehicles every day become much more manageable. This enables Voyage to focus on what we do best — developing a robotaxi service — and ultimately accelerates our time to market. Most importantly, we are accelerating our time to market with an understanding of what it takes to scale. This allows us to make the right decision today, to not only grow in an efficient, cost-effective way, but to also to provide the reliable, affordable robotaxi service that customers want.
“First Transit is excited to partner with Voyage to deliver a world-class robotaxi service. First Transit has a long history of connecting people and communities, and together with Voyage, we are eager to bring a much-needed transportation alternative to seniors across the country. Voyage will focus on their start-of-the-art self-driving technology, while we will bring our operational and mobility expertise.”— First Transit
Serving Our Customers and Communities
Voyage and First Transit share the same goal of providing mobility solutions to help people and communities. To achieve that goal, we work in partnership with local residents and communities to deliver a service that people need and want.
One demographic that desperately needs better transportations options are seniors. 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, but seniors struggle the most with transportation. 17% of seniors do not have a driver’s license, and 35% of seniors have at least one disability that makes driving challenging. Even for seniors that can drive, 74% have cut back on driving. By starting first with retirement communities like The Villages, Florida and The Villages, San Jose, we are providing driverless transportation to those who need it the most.
While we start with retirement communities, we won’t stop there. Together with First Transit, we will gradually expand our customer base and geographic scope until every town and community in the U.S. can summon a Voyage. Robotaxis truly have the ability to change lives, and we are excited to do our part in making that happen.
Author - Nina Qi, COO at Voyage
