Thomas Zimmermann, CEO, Freenow by Lyft
Blog post
The Road Ahead:
A Hybrid Future for Taxis and Autonomous Vehicles
European Mobility Week is a time for reflection and action, and it always gets me thinking deeply about the future of our cities and how we move within them. The sustainable future is not only about the transition to zero emission vehicles, but also about making the urban transport accessible, efficient and increasingly attractive for city residents, serving their diverse needs. That also means considering the emerging new technologies, including autonomous vehicles, and the opportunities they present.
Trust in taxis
What we've been saying for several years still holds true: Freenow actively shapes a sustainable and efficient urban mobility landscape with taxis at its core. We're unwavering in our commitment to modernizing the taxi industry through technology. By integrating private hire vehicles, micromobility, carsharing, and public transport into our app, we offer diverse urban journey choices. Taxis are and will remain essential to urban life, complementing other sustainable transport options.
A recent survey among Freenow users in Spain showed that 87% trust taxi drivers for a safe and comfortable ride, and 65% would recommend taxis as the best way to move around the city. Our Sustainability Highlights 2024 revealed that 47% of all rides in 2024 on the Freenow platform were taken with electrified (fully electric and partially electric) taxis and our users are actively choosing our newly introduced Green features in the app. We are working on introducing more electrified vehicles through local partnerships.
Freenow is also deeply connected to the local communities through our taxi ecosystem, addressing diverse needs. For example, our Greek taxi drivers are instructed how to react to missing child alerts through a collaboration with the organisation The Smile of the Child. In London, we've just partnered with Stop Hate UK on a nightlife safety campaign, promoting safer urban nightlife and providing Freenow black cab drivers with guidance on how to spot and respond to safety concerns of passengers and discrimination. In Poland, together with the Labrador Foundation we are educating drivers on providing assistance to visually impaired passengers travelling with assistance dogs and we’re about to launch a Pets fleet type across the country to better serve them.
These are just a few examples of how taxis are an integral part of our urban societies, contributing to common safety, culture, and social well-being. This reinforces our belief that taxis and the taxi drivers are a vital part of sustainable urban mobility, thanks to electrification, accessibility, and professional safety standards.
Talking future, means addressing AV’s
However, the conversation about urban mobility wouldn't be complete without addressing the topic of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). It’s a field that I personally find incredibly fascinating and full of potential.
First of all, as the AV market and innovation grows, we must acknowledge that their arrival in our cities at this point is inevitable. I believe AVs offer significant opportunities for cities. Imagine a future where traffic congestion is significantly reduced, where parking is less of a nightmare, and where transportation is even more accessible for everyone. AVs have the potential to contribute to these improvements by optimizing routes, reducing human error, and lowering emissions if they are electric.
With Freenow's acquisition by Lyft in July 2025, we've gained access to a powerful platform and resources that accelerate our innovation, including exploring AV partnerships to develop robo-taxis in Europe. There is an enormous potential in Lyft's recent collaboration with Baidu to bring autonomous taxi services to the UK and Germany, marking significant strides in urban mobility innovation. Because of Lyft’s scale and their autonomous tech providers partnerships across the U.S., where AV technology is more advanced than in Europe, we are able to lean on that experience.
Technology enhancing human services
Whenever the topic of autonomous vehicles arises, a key question inevitably follows: what does this mean for the future of taxi drivers? Will this technology take their jobs?
Here’s where my personal perspective comes in: there is no near future where AVs completely replace human-driven taxis. Instead, we envision a dynamic, hybrid system where both co-exist, each serving distinct needs which ultimately expands the overall ridehailing market. We like to call it “growing a pie”. So instead of replacing human driven rides - which is a common misconception - AV’s are in fact adding a new slice to the ridehailing pie.
We believe that adding more shared vehicles to the platform, whether human-driven or autonomous, generally leads to faster arrival times and a better rider experience. That in turn encourages more people to use the service, creating more earning possibilities for drivers and reducing people’s reliance on private cars.
This co-existence isn't unique only to the mobility sector. We're already seeing this in other industries where robots support and grow businesses, especially in times of high demand. Take the automated cashiers in the supermarkets that have become a standard, helping reduce lines and serve people with fewer items or those preferring card payments. Staff in these places remain vital for customers requiring additional assistance, handling large groceries or simply preferring personal interaction. They are also often reassigned to provide more essential and better service on the floor.
The point is, that the technology's advancement into human roles doesn't remove the need for people entirely, particularly when human workers offer irreplaceable value that machines can't match.
It’s no different in the future of mobility. Initially, AVs will be a novel addition, very unlikely to affect the earnings of existing drivers. As AV technology matures and becomes more widespread, allowing them to handle a broader range of trips, their presence will become more significant.
The irreplaceable role of taxi drivers
Taxi drivers will always maintain a crucial role. Their invaluable local knowledge, their ability to navigate complex or unexpected situations, and the personal connection and reassurance they provide to passengers are strengths that AVs cannot replicate. For example assisting an elderly person, helping you with luggage at the airport or when there’s a medical emergency. Moreover, think of a bustling city like London, where a local black cab taxi driver knows all the shortcuts and can offer recommendations that no algorithm can. This human element, the professional safety standards, and the door-to-door convenience are what many users deeply value.
The flexibility and adaptability of taxi drivers will remain crucial, especially for specific services or in situations where nuanced human judgment is essential. Consider moments of high demand after a concert or a football match, or during temporary disruptions like strikes or parades. AV’s alone would never be able to match this demand. These are scenarios where human drivers provide invaluable adaptability and local expertise.
So, where can AVs enhance urban transport? They can excel in predictable routes, high-demand areas, during times with less supply availability, offering efficiency and scalability. Potentially it all contributes to increasing the overall demand for rides. Meanwhile, human drivers can continue to provide personalized services, navigate challenging conditions, and cater to diverse passenger preferences.
What’s next?
Being completely transparent - I believe that the road to it will be full of question marks and unknowns. Therefore, we firmly believe that this technology in our cities must be carefully planned and managed to ensure it supports the taxi community: including drivers, fleet operators, and platforms. And we must stay proactive on it. For that, we need a true collaboration and openness of regulators, cities and providers.
Freenow’s foundation is built upon supporting professional taxi drivers and understanding the complexities of urban mobility. Our deep roots in the traditional taxi industry and this unique background makes us an ideal partner for cities, ensuring that the rise of AVs and the regulation is fair, responsible, and balanced and more importantly - that taxi drivers’ interests are protected.
At Freenow by Lyft, we are committed to being at the forefront of this evolving landscape. Our focus remains on supporting our partner drivers with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive and earn. We also foresee new opportunities for drivers, such as managing and maintaining AV fleets or providing remote assistance. We are dedicated to helping drivers adapt and grow within this hybrid future, ensuring they can continue to find meaningful earning opportunities and leverage their skills in new ways. A great example of how Lyft is bringing drivers along as an important part of the journey is the Lyft Driver Autonomous Forum, an initiative designed to bring experienced drivers directly into the conversation of integrating autonomous vehicles into the platform.
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European Mobility Week reminds us that the journey towards sustainable and efficient urban transport is ongoing. It's a journey we're taking together, embracing innovation while valuing the human touch that makes our cities unique. I am confident that by combining the strengths of human-driven taxis with the potential of autonomous vehicles, we can create a more connected, accessible, and sustainable future for urban mobility in Europe and beyond.