The VW ID. Buzz Is Getting A New Job As A Robotaxi

May Mobility plans to bring 10,000 driverless ID. Buzzes to a road near you.

VW ID. Buzz NYC

Photo by: Suvrat Kothari

Rob Stumpf

By: Rob Stumpf

Nov 13, at 12:37pm ET

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May Mobility plans to build out a massive fleet of Volkswagen ID. Buzz EVs.
It plans to launch 10,000 driverless Buzzes over the next five years.
A partner-first approach means that Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing companies may be the first to get these EVs starting in 2028.

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz hasn't exactly been a smash hit in the U.S. But that hasn't stopped commercial customers from eyeing up the nostalgic electric van for something it's particularly good at: moving people.

May Mobility announced on Thursday that it plans to integrate its autonomous driving systems into the Buzz to give it a job wherever driverless taxis are welcome.

Volkswagen ID. Buzz (2026) in European specification

Photo by: Volkswagen

May wants to use its existing tech stack to equip up to the ID. Buzzes with hardware and software that can see "up to 10 seconds into the future."

Well, kind of—May's tech uses onboard predictive modeling to anticipate how the world around it will move, similar how a human assess other drivers around them. It creates multiple scenarios in its digital brain and uses the model's reasoning to determine which one is most suited for its environment.

The tech would also make the cars capable of integrating with any of the "global robotaxi platforms," which is one of the ways that May is approaching its partnership-first business model. Presumably, that means its existing fleet partners like Lyft, Uber, and other ride hailing services around the world.

May's approach is also a silent win for folks who want to make sure that Buzz doesn't fizzle out.

One of the biggest blockers to Buzz adoption on the consumer side has been the price. While that could change in the coming months, the van's initially high price tag and just so-so range made it a fairly lukewarm offering to EV buyers looking to park the Buzz in their own driveway. That's why Robotaxis might be the best use of the Buzz yet.

It's roomy enough to comfortably haul plenty of passengers (and whatever cargo they bring along), plus it has the easy ingress and egress of a minivan. Other companies seem to agree, even VW's own MOIA arm that recently began testing an autonomous version of the Buzz in Los Angeles.

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So far, May has completed about 600,000 commercial driverless rides in the U.S. and Japan. And while it hasn't said how many cars it operates, May is pretty open about its long-term goal for the Buzz.

It plans to put 10,000 of these autonomous ID. Buzzes on the road by 2031. That all starts with road testing early next year, followed by delivering the first fleet vehicles to customers by 2028.

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