May 1 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies ( UBER ) said on Thursday it will partner with

self-driving technology startup May Mobility to deploy thousands of self-driving vehicles on its

ride-hailing platform across U.S. cities, starting with Arlington, Texas, by late 2025.

This adds to Uber's ( UBER ) growing list of partners for self-driving taxi deployment as it competes

with Lyft ( LYFT ) and EV-maker Tesla in the robotaxi market.

The ride-sharing market leader expanded its partnership with Alphabet's Waymo last

year and signed new deals with China's WeRide ( WRD ) and Avride to strengthen its position in

the burgeoning segment.

Tesla unveiled its Cybercab robotaxi concept in October, with production planned

for 2026 and service launch expected in Austin, Texas this year.

Analysts and industry experts caution that developing self-driving systems face significant

engineering and regulatory challenges.

The U.S. federal government is facilitating the deployment of autonomous vehicles by

expanding exemptions from certain safety requirements while maintaining mandatory incident

reporting.

May Mobility's robotaxis will initially operate with safety drivers before transitioning to

fully autonomous operations.

The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based startup has raised over $380 million from investors including

Toyota ( TM ) and BMW.

May Mobility, which has been operating in Arlington since 2021, will operate U.S.-made

gasoline-electric hybrid Toyota Sienna minivans under the partnership, the companies said.​

May Mobility last year announced a similar collaboration with Lyft ( LYFT ) to deploy self-driving

taxis in Atlanta, Georgia, starting this year.

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