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Uber and Wayve begin carrying robotaxi passengers in London
- Uber and British startup Wayve launched London's first robotaxi service Thursday with a fleet of about 15 supervised autonomous vehicles.
reuters+1 - Riders requesting UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber Electric may be matched with a Wayve-powered car; over 140,000 users have opted in via the app.
electrive+1 - The companies plan to expand next to Tokyo later this year, then to 10 more cities, though fully driverless London rides remain pending regulatory approval.
electrive+1
Uber and British autonomous driving startup Wayve began carrying passengers in London on Thursday, making the city the first in the United Kingdom to offer a robotaxi service and only the second in Europe after Zagreb, Croatia.nytimes+1
A fleet of Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles equipped with Wayve's AI driving system is now available through the Uber app for UberX, Uber Electric, and Uber Comfort rides at no additional cost. A trained, Transport for London-licensed safety operator remains behind the wheel to monitor each trip and intervene if needed, a setup the companies describe as "supervised autonomous rides".reuters+2
A Small Start With Big Ambitions
Uber's head of product, Wendy Lee, told AFP the rollout would begin with "dozens" of vehicles, while Reuters reported fewer than 20 cars would be available at launch. The companies have safety authorization for 15 supervised vehicles in London. Over 140,000 riders have already activated the autonomous vehicle preference in the Uber app, according to the companies.nigeriainfo+3
The launch makes Wayve the first company to offer a robotaxi service to the public in London, ahead of Alphabet -owned Waymo and Baidu , which has partnered with Lyft for a planned 2027 service. Waymo told AFP it plans to begin carrying passengers without a human behind the wheel by the end of the year, subject to government approval. Transport for London said its guidelines for fully autonomous vehicles would be issued shortly, adding that no operator had yet begun the approval process.vanguardngr+1
Regulatory Hurdles and Global Expansion
Neither Uber nor Wayve has announced when London rides will operate without a safety driver, saying the timing remains uncertain. Uber's global head of autonomous mobility, Sarfraz Maredia, said the launch would "build credibility with consumers as well as with the government".electrive+2
London is the first market in a broader collaboration. Wayve plans to expand next to Tokyo later this year using the Nissan Leaf, followed by 10 additional cities with Uber. The London launch comes a day after Uber ended ride-hailing operations in Nigeria and Uganda, part of a restructuring that includes plans to cut about 3,300 jobs.nigeriainfo+2
Sources (13)
- 1 Uber and AI-firm Wayve launch London's first robotaxis www.reuters.com
- 2 Wayve and Uber launch autonomous rides in London www.electrive.com
- 3 Uber Launches Robotaxi Service in London After Nigeria, Uganda Exit www.nigeriainfo.fm
- 4 Uber and Wayve to Start Testing Robotaxis in London www.nytimes.com
- 5 Uber and Wayve Launch London’s First Public Robotaxi Service www.cnet.com
- 6 Uber, Wayve launch London's first robotaxi service www.vanguardngr.com
- 7 Autonomous Rides Powered By Wayve. Available on Uber. wayve.ai
- 8 Uber and Wayve launch London’s first robotaxi service ... - TNW thenextweb.com
- 9 Wayve and Uber Put British AI on London's Roads futurumgroup.com
- 10 Uber Technologies, Inc. - Wayve and Uber Launch First-Ever ... investor.uber.com
- 11 Uber, Wayve Launch Robotaxi Service in London to Compete With ... www.bloomberg.com
- 12 Uber launches robotaxis in London – ahead of Waymo and Baidu www.heise.de
- 13 Robotaxi service debuts on London's busy streets as Europe weighs more self-driving vehicles mb.com.ph
