Uber, Wayve begin robotaxi rollout in London's busy streets as Europe takes cautious approach

Uber and British technology company Wayve are launching London's first self-driving taxi service on Thursday, bringing robotaxis to the city as Europe takes a more cautious approach to autonomous passenger vehicles than the United States and China.

The service will initially use fewer than 20 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles fitted with Wayve's autonomous driving technology, with plans to expand the fleet, Uber's head of autonomous mobility, Sarfraz Maredia, said.

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Unlike robotaxis operating fully autonomously in several US and Chinese cities, London's service will still have a human safety driver behind the wheel who can take control or apply the brakes if needed.

Under Britain's pilot framework for self-driving vehicles, Uber and Wayve still require approval to operate without a human safety driver. "That process is still playing out," Maredia said, adding that it was unclear how long the approval process would take.

The launch marks a significant step for London's autonomous vehicle market, where companies have been testing self-driving technology as Britain prepares to implement national regulations.

Waymo, owned by Google's parent Alphabet, and Chinese technology company Baidu are also preparing to launch commercial passenger services in London.

The city presents a particularly demanding environment for autonomous vehicles, with narrow and often congested roads shared by cars, buses, bicycles and electric rental bikes. Pedestrians also pose an additional challenge because jaywalking is not illegal in Britain.

Europe has generally moved more cautiously on robotaxis than the United States and China. Uber last month launched its first European commercial robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, in partnership with local operator and Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai, although human safety drivers are still required.

In the United States, Waymo now operates fully autonomous taxi services in 14 cities, while Amazon's Zoox and Tesla are expanding their autonomous driving operations.

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China's Baidu, WeRide and Pony.AI operate robotaxi services in multiple cities and have also expanded into the Middle East through partnerships with Uber and local fleet operators in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

For Uber passengers in London, the new service will work much like a regular ride. Customers will not be able to specifically request a robotaxi but could be matched with a Wayve vehicle when they book through the Uber app. They will have the option to accept or reject the match.

Fares will be the same as those for regular Uber rides, while passengers will not be prompted to leave a tip at the end of a robotaxi journey, the company said.

The launch comes as policymakers and technology companies grapple with how quickly autonomous vehicles can be deployed in cities while maintaining safety and public confidence.

London's rollout will initially be limited, but Uber and Wayve see it as a step toward eventually operating vehicles without human safety drivers as Britain's regulatory framework evolves.