A unique rideshare is expanding its footprint in Las Vegas.
Vay, a driverless car sharing service, allows teledrivers at a remote driving center to operate a car from afar and deliver it to people who request it on an app. The consumer then takes over and drives the car themselves—able to stop as needed—before dropping it off anywhere in Vay’s service area to be picked up remotely by a teledriver and delivered elsewhere.
The Berlin-based company has had such a positive response from customers that it’s now ready to add to its fleet of electric vehicles in Las Vegas, said Thomas Von der Ohe, one of Vay’s CEOs and co-founders. The remote-driving entity recently announced it will increase to 100 vehicles in unique door-to-door remote driving services in Las Vegas this year.
“We’re really looking out to the community here to use and give feedback to that product,” said Von der Ohe, who cited students, households without enough cars and residents who can’t afford insurance or maintenance as people who may value Vay’s service offering. “Because we’re still refining.”
Unlike fully autonomous robotaxis, Vay is driven by a human at all times—either remotely from the driving center by a teledriver, or in-person by the consumer. That means they can make decisions an autonomous driving car cannot, Von der Ohe said.
He emphasized Vay is not in competition with robotaxis, just creating an entirely new category for mobility.
“So we see a world where we don’t go from 100% human to zero,” he said. “But we really see a world where it’s a hybrid. Over the next 10 to 20 years, there’s going to be some human and some autonomy.”
Vay wants to provide an alternative to private car ownership, Von der Ohe said, so cities can be more sustainable. The company uses electric vehicles that it outfits with a camera system and other hardware that make them driveable remotely.
In addition to its affordability, he said, consumers love the flexibility of Vay and the ability to drive themselves around, while stopping at the supermarket, the pharmacy or wherever they may need to go.
“So that’s how we see a future where a lot of people get from A to B in cities like that,” Von der Ohe said. “Because it is half the price … compared to an Uber, and that’s because we don’t have to pay a driver while you drive.”
Vay is launching a more than 8,500-square-foot production facility in Henderson to build up its Kia e-Niro fleet, per a news release. The state-of-the-art facility in Henderson will process up to 16 vehicles per week.
“The main reason was because we looked into places that foster innovation and that have the right regulatory framework,” Von der Ohe said, when asked why Southern Nevada was Vay’s chosen destination for the facility. “So that had some big checks for Las Vegas. Here, we got invited with open arms.”
Unlike driving an Uber, remote drivers at Vay remain at the remote driving center where they can easily take coffee or bathroom breaks, avoid physical contact with customers and more, Von der Ohe said.
Yulieanna Duran, who has been a remote driver for Vay for almost a year, said she appreciates the flexibility it provides in her schedule and that it doesn’t involve the same risks that a driver in a traditional rideshare may face.
Not everyone is able to get to a car rental company, she said, so Vay allows them to get a car from the comfort of their home. When Duran remotely delivers the car, she speaks briefly with the customer when they get in, giving them a rundown of how the rental works before they take over and drive themselves.
“You’ve probably been to an arcade and seen those racing simulators—it’s pretty much like that, but on steroids,” she said. “It does have all the basic driving controls with real automotive components like the steering wheel, the pedals, the honk—things like that. So it is fairly easy to adapt to, especially with the training that we’re provided. So it’s super, super cool.”
With the increasing fleet, Von der Ohe said he would love to see Las Vegas residents use the service and be happy with it, and for it to solve mobility challenges within the city. He then wants to show the world what the company has to offer.
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This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.