Uber and Wayve launch London's first self-driving taxi service
Uber and Wayve debut London's first robotaxi service, with safety drivers, as Europe treads cautiously on autonomous cabs.
London residents can now hail a self-driving taxi for the first time, as Uber and British autonomous driving firm Wayve launched a pilot service on Thursday. The initial fleet consists of fewer than 20 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs equipped with Wayve's self-driving technology.
Unlike fully driverless services operating in parts of the United States and China, the London robotaxis will still have a human safety driver behind the wheel, ready to take control if needed. This cautious approach reflects Europe's slower regulatory path toward autonomous vehicles.
The U.K. government's current pilot framework requires operators like Uber and Wayve to obtain separate approval before removing the safety driver. Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's head of autonomous mobility, said that process is still underway and its timeline remains unclear.
London presents unique challenges for self-driving vehicles, including narrow, winding roads, heavy traffic, and the fact that jaywalking is legal, making pedestrian behaviour harder to predict. Despite these hurdles, other companies are preparing to enter the market. Waymo and China's Baidu are both planning commercial robotaxi services in the capital.
Across Europe, most countries remain in the testing phase. Uber launched its first European commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, last month with local operator and China's Pony.ai, though those vehicles also require human safety drivers.
In the U.S., Waymo operates fully autonomous taxis in 14 cities, while Amazon's Zoox and Tesla are expanding their own programmes. In China, Baidu, WeRide, and Pony.ai run robotaxi fleets in multiple cities and are also partnering with Uber and local operators in the Middle East.
For now, Uber customers in London cannot specifically request a robotaxi. When hailing a ride, they may be matched with a Wayve vehicle, which they can accept or decline. Fares will be the same as regular Uber rides, and passengers will not be prompted to tip after a robotaxi trip.