Fahrdienst: Uber und Partnerfirma bekommen Robotaxi-Lizenz in London

London is emerging as a battleground in the European race for robotaxis. Ride-hailing aggregator Uber and its software partner Wayve have obtained the first license to transport passengers using self-driving cars in the UK capital. Initially, some modified Ford Mustang electric vehicles will carry safety drivers behind the wheel.

The first selected passengers are expected to be transported within the summer, according to the companies. Over 100,000 Londoners have reportedly expressed interest in using the platform for robotaxis. Google's sibling firm Waymo, currently leading the robotaxi market, announced its entry into London for this year, though a specific date has not been disclosed.

Waymo operates nearly 4,000 autonomous vehicles without human drivers in 15 U.S. cities, with more than 500,000 paid rides conducted by their vehicles per week. Chinese company Baidu also recently began testing autonomous cars in London. Uber once developed its own autonomous driving technology, but discontinued the project following a fatal accident during a test drive, focusing instead on bringing robotaxi technology from various developers onto its platform.