Uber to exit Nigeria after 12 years of operations

Owing to its expansion of robotaxi services, Uber has now launched autonomous rides in London in collaboration with British AI firm Wayve. This follows the company's exit from Nigeria, where it had been offering ride-hailing services for over a decade. London, as reported by Reuters, becomes the second European city where Uber now provides autonomous rides, following Zagreb.

Initially, fewer than 20 Wayve-powered Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles will be available for passengers to request UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Electric rides. Despite having a licensed operator onboard to monitor the journey, passengers will not incur any extra charges for this service. A human operator will remain inside the vehicle for the time being to oversee the operation. Future operations are set to become fully driverless, contingent on regulatory approval.

Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's Global Head of Autonomous Mobility, believes this launch will help build public and governmental trust in the technology. "This will build credibility with consumers as well as with the government," he stated. British Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander hailed the launch as a significant development for London's transport system. "This is a major milestone for the future of transport in London, as British innovation brings this technology onto our roads and gives passengers more choice," she added.

Wayve's AI Driver is engineered to learn from experience and adapt to diverse road, vehicle, weather, and city conditions. Wayve CEO and co-founder Alex Kendall praised London as an ideal location for the company's first public deployment. "We’re proud to introduce the Wayve AI Driver to the public for the first time right here in London, our home city and one of the most complex driving environments in the world," he remarked.

However, the full driverless services cannot commence immediately due to lingering regulatory hurdles. Approvals from Transport for London and other prerequisites must be secured before the vehicles can operate without a human operator. Uber and Wayve have been partners since 2024, with an investment in Wayve as part of their plans to roll out Wayve-powered autonomous vehicles in various markets.

The London launch underscores Uber's ongoing transition towards autonomous mobility as the company explores fresh technologies and markets for the future of transportation.