System and method for autonomous vehicle sharing using facial recognition

A computer-implemented method for identifying autonomous vehicle users, comprising:

• receiving, at one or more processors in an autonomous vehicle, a request from a user for transportation to a destination location, wherein the request includes identification information and a location of the user;
• causing, by the one or more processors, the autonomous vehicle to travel to the location of the user;
• prior to the user entering the autonomous vehicle:
• detecting, via an external facing camera or touch sensor attached to the autonomous vehicle, a biometric identifier of the user;
• and
• comparing, by the one or more processors, the biometric identifier to the identification information;
• when the biometric identifier and the identification information correspond to a same user, causing, by the one or more processors, a control mechanism within the autonomous vehicle to allow the user to enter the autonomous vehicle and travel to the destination location;
• and
• when the biometric identifier and the identification information do not correspond to the same user, causing, by the one or more processors, the control mechanism within the autonomous vehicle not to allow the user to travel to the destination location including at least one of:
• turning off a vehicle engine or shutting down one or more autonomous operation features for the autonomous vehicle.