Uber Teams With AI Firm, Wayve To Trial UK Robotaxis

Wayve and Uber said they will place Level 4 driverless cars on London streets. According to the joint press release, Wayve will place its Embodied AI driver inside vehicles that passengers can request through Uber.

Alex Kendall, Wayve’s chief executive, called the project “a defining moment for UK autonomy” and said the trial will bring safe autonomous travel to daily rides across the country.

Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s president, described London as one of the hardest cities for any automated car and said the new service proves that driverless travel is edging closer to daily life.

 

How Will Cars Cope With London Traffic?

 
Level 4 cars can run on their own inside agreed zones, yet they keep a fallback safety driver who can take over if the software asks.

Engineers will watch how the vehicles read British traffic rules, which differ sharply from those in the United States, where most automated tests have happened so far.

Wayve’s system learns from camera input rather than from high detail maps. That means a car can handle sudden lane changes or new layouts without weeks of extra mapping.

Lessons from London will guide later launches in Manchester, Birmingham and mainland European cities.

 

Why Did the Government Support The Programme?

 
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the trial could create 38 000 jobs and add £42 billion to the economy. She called the agreement between the two companies “a fantastic vote of confidence” in British transport technology.

Officials want Britain to keep top engineering talent and attract more capital for smart mobility research.

New rules cover insurance, data sharing and street permits, giving Wayve and Uber a clear legal map from testing to paid service.

Transport for London will manage traffic clearances, while the Department for Transport will track safety data and publish findings.

A government briefing described the pilot as the beginning of many autonomous ride hailing services to come.
 

 

How Does Wayve’s AI Driver Work?

 
Wayve calls its driving method AV 2.0. Instead of high definition maps and handwritten rules, the system learns from camera feeds in a way similar to a human driver.

During a 90 day tour one model steered through 90 cities, handling rural lanes, city boulevards and mountain highways without new code.

Kendall said the same software drove in Tokyo, Milan and Montana, which gave the team confidence to launch public rides in London.

When Can Passengers Book A Driverless Trip?

Wayve and Uber began joint work in 2024, fitting the AI driver into vehicles already listed on the Uber app.

The new phase places those cars on public roads, with an unnamed global automaker supplying the vehicles.

Final regulatory approval is expected before spring 2026. After that date paying riders will be invited to try the service in set districts of London.

If the cars pass strict safety targets, the partners plan to grow the service to other UK cities.

They also aim to reach key European markets, though no calendar has been given. Uber said the project will move step by step, keeping safety at the centre of every decision.

 

Could Driverless Rides Change City Travel?

 
Alphabet’s Waymo already runs autonomous taxis in San Francisco, and Tesla has teased its own robotaxi plans. The London project places the UK in the front pack of a global race.

Supporters say removing the human driver could cut fares and make door-to-door travel easier for people with disabilities.

Taxi unions are worried about software faults and lost jobs for traditional drivers. They want thorough oversight before any large rollout.

Macdonald said the London trial will show that autonomous rides can become a safe and reliable choice for everyone.