May Mobility, Tecnobus to develop electric autonomous minibus

May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle (AV) technology company, extended its portfolio of AV use cases at CES 2025 through a partnership with Tecnobus, an established European electric minibus manufacturer. The partnership introduces a new autonomous minibus platform, allowing May Mobility to offer further flexibility to fleet operators and transit agencies across domestic and international markets.

Working with Tecnobus, the new autonomous electric vehicle (EV) minibus will seat up to 30 passengers and include wheelchair accessibility, enhancing May Mobility's mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) offerings and advancing sustainable transportation. Key features of May Mobility's new autonomous minibus platform include:

• Scalability for mixed fleets: Designed for urban transit, corporate campuses, airports, planned communities, and more
• International reach: Homologated for use in Europe and Canada, unlocking new markets in addition to U.S. site deployments
• Sustainability: Fully electric with swappable batteries minimizing downtime and related energy waste
• Performance: Accommodates up to 30 passengers and reaches speeds of 45mph

"This collaboration combines Tecnobus' electric mobility expertise with May Mobility's cutting-edge autonomy to deliver a transformative transit solution. This new platform represents a significant evolution, perfectly aligned with the values of sustainability, reliability, and vision that Tecnobus has upheld for over 30 years, combining our expertise in electric mobility with their technological leadership in autonomous driving," says Paolo Marini, CEO of Tecnobus.

Leveraging May Mobility's patented Multi-Policy Decision Making (MPDM) technology, the first autonomous minibuses are expected to be road-ready in the first half of 2026, with deployments slated for later that year. MPDM leverages in-situ AI to interpret and learn from data in real time, continuously adapting to new, complex and even unpredictable driving conditions. May Mobility's technology makes it possible to efficiently scale its operations, even as it introduces new platforms into its fleet.

Extending May Mobility's portfolio of use cases and international expansion
The minibus, May Mobility's fifth unique vehicle platform, will be integrated into its fleet alongside the Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS platform, demonstrating the company's adaptability in autonomous systems integration. This expansion further enhances its ability to serve a broader range of mobility use cases, from ride-hailing services to high-capacity transit.

"Our partnership with Tecnobus shows that we're serious about expanding transit access and reducing urban congestion," says Edwin Olson, CEO and founder of May Mobility. "It's a strong example of how doing the right thing for communities can also be great for growing our business."

The partnership also paves the way for May Mobility's expansion into new international markets, supported by Tecnobus' parent company, ICAPGROUP, and its established 30-year infrastructure spanning 27 countries and more than 1,200 sites.