Uber adds Wayve robotaxis in London, first of 12 planned markets
What's the deal? Uber and Wayve launched supervised autonomous rides in London on September 3, 2026, the first time autonomous trips are available in the UK. Londoners requesting an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort may now be matched with a Wayve-powered vehicle at no extra cost, with upfront fares shown in-app.
How does it work? Riders travel in an all-electric FordDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Mustang Mach-E fitted with the Wayve AI Driver and surround sensors, hailing and unlocking the car through the Uber app. They can accept or switch to a non-AV ride before the car arrives, and can travel anywhere in London except airports.
What's the catch? The launch is supervised: a trained, Transport for London-licensed private hire driver sits up front, ready to take over. Only 15 vehicles are so far licensed, against more than 100,000 private hire cars in the capital — and roughly 140,000 Londoners who have already opted in.
Why now? The move is part of a Uber-Wayve partnership, backed by an Uber investment, to put Wayve-powered vehicles on the Uber network in 12 markets worldwide, starting with London. Uber expects to facilitate AV trips in as many as 15 cities globally by the end of 2026.
What's the endgame? Founded in London in 2018, Wayve trains its "AV2.0" AI Driver on the city's roads, learning from experience without HD maps or hand-coded rules. Fully driverless operation requires separate approval from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, now seen as unlikely this year.
What did they say? Chief executive Alex Kendall called the technology "still maturing" but said driverless services would come. "I don't want to put a timeline on it, but we're pushing as fast as we can," he said, adding that Wayve plans to move to manufacturer-produced NissanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Leaf robotaxis.
The signal: London is a crucial testbed for a wider European rollout, and Uber has moved ahead of rivals Waymo and Baidu, both testing robotaxis in the capital. Uber's Sarfraz Maredia said AVs should eventually be "both safer and cheaper," but conceded: "Today, nobody's able to operate AVs cheaper than a traditional human-driven ride, so that's going to take a while to prove."
Read more: The Guardian, Tech.eu, wayve.ai
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
