Londoners can now hail Wayve autonomous vehicles through Uber

Londoners can now request rides from autonomous Wayve vehicles through Uber, marking the first time autonomous trips are available in the UK. The launch, a partnership between Uber and Wayve, began today, with Londoners opting-in to the service in large numbers. When a rider requests an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort, they may be matched with a Wayve ride at no additional cost, with upfront fares displayed within the app.

The Wayve autonomous ride will be in an all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicle, equipped with the Wayve AI Driver and surround sensors. Passengers can unlock the vehicle doors and start the journey from their Uber app. The initial phase features supervised autonomous rides, meaning a trained and taxi-licensed private hire driver will be present in the vehicle to oversee the trip.

Over 140,000 Londoners have already opted-in to the experience. Wayve, founded and headquartered in London, has been building and specifically training their AI technology on the capital's challenging roads since 2018. Wayve's AV2.0 approach utilizes an AI Driver that learns from experience, allowing it to scale and adapt to complex environments without relying on traditional HD maps or hand-coded rules.

This launch is part of a broader Uber and Wayve partnership, which included an investment to bring Wayve-powered vehicles to Uber's network in 12 markets worldwide, starting with London. Wayve's autonomous driving technology is adaptable to various vehicle platforms and sensor configurations, enabling rapid scaling. The move follows other European initiatives, such as Verne's launch of Europe's first commercial robotaxi service in Croatia, and Bliq.ai gaining approval for driverless operations in Finland and Estonia.

Wayve's CEO and Co-founder, Alex Kendall, expressed pride in introducing the Wayve AI Driver to the public for the first time in London, describing the capital as one of the most complex driving environments in the world. Uber's Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, welcomed the launch, highlighting the significance of British innovation in driving the future of transport in London.

The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, heralded the milestone as a major step forward for transport in the city, emphasizing the importance of supporting new investment and skills opportunities as the technology develops. Wayve's technology, Kendall noted, is poised to help drive investment and growth in transport across the UK.

By the end of 2026, Uber aims to facilitate AV trips in as many as 15 cities globally, with a target of becoming the world's largest facilitator of AV trips by 2029.