UK-based automotive technology companies Wayve and Uber are set to launch completely unmanned Robotaxi services in London over the next few years.
The news comes shortly after the UK announced an acceleration framework for commercial pilots of autonomous driving. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed Tuesday that the UK government will quickly track pilots from late 2027 to spring 2026, encouraging investment in the country’s autonomy.
Wayve and Uber did not share many details of upcoming releases, such as the number of vehicles or what vehicles to launch through which vehicle manufacturer or partner, when companies launched their trials and services accurately. Wayve said in April that the technology would head to Nissan vehicles.
The announcement follows Uber’s strategic investment in Wayve in 2024, and promises that the startup’s AI will one day be integrated into consumer cars running on Uber’s platform.
A Wayve spokesman told TechCrunch that the company will start in the UK capital and expand beyond London from there. First, all companies involved in launching the Robotaxi service must prove the safety associated with regulatory authorities.
“We have an ecosystem of partners to bring services to the market,” Wayve’s Director of Public Policy Sarah Gates told TechCrunch. “Wayve provides integrated drive intelligence into the base vehicle provided by vehicle manufacturers, then acquires fleet operators, and Uber operates the services. So each part of its supply chain must prove that it is safe and responsible deployment, although they are responsible.”
In the case of Wayve, the company needs to prove the safety of the system and how it drives within the operational design domain. Uber has separate commitments regarding running passenger services responsibly and in place something like customer service.
“This is a critical moment for UK autonomy,” Wayve CEO and co-founder Alex Kendall said in a statement. “Together with Uber and our Global OEM partners, we are preparing to bring AI driver technology to real-world services on the streets of London and provide an AV2.0 vision of scalable autonomy. Equipped AI will learn to drive anywhere on any vehicle.
Wayve recently published a blog detailing the initial findings from the AI-500 Roadshow, a project that will use one AI model to visit 500 cities by the end of 2025. So far, the startup has hit 90 cities across Asia, Europe and North America in 90 days. The demo is designed to prove that Wayve’s technology can work where it is located, rather than relying on local mapping first.
This is data related to companies like Uber, which operate globally and operate with almost every AV company and trade to rapidly expand their autonomous capabilities.
“The fact that AI functions as a global network is this partnership and this is a big reason, as Uber has one of the largest mobility networks globally. [driverless] Wayve spokesperson Tilly Pielichaty told TechCrunch.
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