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🇩🇪 Germany /Technology

Uber and Wayve launch robotaxi service in London

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Uber and autonomous-driving start-up Wayve have begun commercial robotaxi rides in London, initially using vehicles in the double digits.
  • A staff member remains in the driver’s seat while authorities consider approvals needed for fully driverless service.
  • London is the second European city with the service after Zagreb, while companies including Waymo and Baidu are also pursuing robotaxi operations.

Londoners can now book a self-driving taxi, but for the moment a human employee remains behind the wheel.

Uber and Wayve have begun offering commercial robotaxi rides in the British capital and plan to introduce the service to the public gradually. Uber product chief Wendy Lee said the initial fleet would consist of vehicles “in the double digits.” Wayve business development chief Kaity Fischer said an employee would continue sitting in the driver’s seat for safety reasons.

We want to gradually introduce the driverless taxi service to the public.

· Wendy LeeUber’s product chief described the planned phased rollout in London.

Fully driverless operation still requires regulatory approvals, and those procedures have been delayed. Sarfraz Maredia, who leads Uber’s autonomous mobility unit, said the launch should build confidence among consumers and government officials. Wayve says its artificial intelligence learns from experience like a human driver and adapts to unfamiliar roads, other vehicles, changing weather and new cities.

In the interest of safety, an employee will initially still sit behind the wheel despite the autonomous driving.

· Kaity FischerWayve’s business development chief explained why the initial service will retain a human employee.

The London trial makes Wayve the first company to offer an autonomous ride service in the city, ahead of U.S. rival Waymo and Chinese company Baidu. Baidu plans to launch a driverless taxi service in London this year with Lyft. London follows Zagreb, where people have been able to book driverless cars from start-up Verne since April. Verne is supported by Uber and autonomous-driving company Pony.ai, and its vehicles also still carry employees behind the wheel.

Self-driving taxis already operate in the United States and China. Waymo, a Google subsidiary, operates about 2,000 vehicles in San Francisco, Los Angeles and three other cities. In Germany, private operators are still testing the technology. Volkswagen’s Moia is testing autonomous driving near Hamburg, while Waymo expects to offer public robotaxi rides in Munich toward the end of 2027.

The launch should create trust among consumers and the government.

· Sarfraz MarediaThe head of Uber’s autonomous mobility unit described the purpose of the London launch.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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