Uber Launches Commercial Robotaxi Service in London with Wayve Technology

Uber has launched a commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in London, becoming the first operator to start such a business in the city. The vehicles are equipped with autonomous driving technology developed by British startup Wayve, and will initially still have safety drivers on board. The launch marks the culmination of years of planning between Uber and Wayve, which had been working to deploy autonomous mobility services in the UK. Currently, autonomous ride-hailing services are mainly concentrated in the US and China, with a small number also operating in the Middle East. The London launch will test demand for driverless ride-hailing in other regions.

Uber users in London can express a preference for autonomous vehicles in their app settings. Wayve is currently using Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles for its fleet, with plans to introduce the Nissan Leaf in the future. In the initial phase, safety drivers will sit in the front seats to monitor the vehicle's operation, but will not directly control it. The role will be gradually phased out, with the service eventually moving to fully driverless operation. All safety drivers have been licensed by Transport for London.

Uber said the service will not use geofencing, meaning there will be no virtual boundaries restricting where the autonomous taxis can operate. Wayve said its AV2.0 system is designed to overcome the limitations of traditional autonomous driving systems by operating without reliance on fixed geofences, describing this approach as a further development of the conventional AV1.0 model.