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Uber and Wayve launch first supervised autonomous passenger rides in London
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Uber and Wayve have launched supervised autonomous passenger rides in London, marking the first time members of the public can access autonomous trips in the UK through the Uber platform.
From today, passengers requesting UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort may be matched with an all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E equipped with the Wayve AI Driver and surrounding sensor technology. The autonomous option carries no additional charge, with passengers receiving the usual upfront fare through the Uber app.
The launch represents an important step towards commercial autonomous private hire services in the capital, but the vehicles are not yet operating without a driver. During the initial phase, a trained Transport for London licensed private hire driver will remain onboard to supervise the journey.
Passengers will also have the final say on whether they use the technology. Anyone matched with a Wayve vehicle can accept the autonomous ride or switch to a conventional vehicle before it arrives. Customers wanting to increase their chances of receiving one can opt in through the Trip Preferences section of the Uber app.
Uber says more than 140,000 Londoners have already opted in to increase their chances of being matched with an autonomous vehicle.
The initial deployment will involve what the companies describe as a small number of vehicles. No precise fleet figure has been disclosed. Uber and Wayve say numbers will increase gradually according to passenger demand, operational readiness and regulation.
The vehicles will be able to carry passengers throughout London at launch, although airport journeys are excluded. That gives the technology exposure to a broad range of road conditions across the capital rather than restricting operations to a small geofenced district.
Passengers matched with a Wayve vehicle will use the Uber app to unlock the doors and begin their journey. An interactive display inside the vehicle, available in 64 languages, allows passengers to view the route the vehicle plans to take.
Wayve has been developing and training its autonomous driving technology on London’s roads since 2018. The company was founded and is headquartered in the capital.
Its AV2.0 approach uses an AI Driver designed to learn from driving experience and adapt to different environments, rather than relying on the traditional combination of high-definition maps and extensively hand-coded driving rules.
Alex Kendall, CEO and co-founder of Wayve, said: “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. Autonomous driving technology will complement the city’s rich transport network, and we’re excited for Londoners to experience it first as we begin our global rollout with Uber.”
Uber is positioning London as an important market for its wider autonomous mobility strategy, with the partnership expected to extend beyond the UK.
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility at Uber, said: “We’re delighted to bring autonomous rides to Uber riders in London for the very first time, powered by Wayve, a homegrown British success story. London is a world-class hub for transportation innovation and this launch is a major milestone in scaling safe, accessible AV technology in a city with some of the world’s most complex roads.”
The Government has also backed the introduction as part of its wider push to develop Britain’s autonomous vehicle and artificial intelligence sectors.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “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.
“As this technology develops, we want to support new opportunities for investment and skills, while recognising the important role that those working in the sector today will continue to play.
“Today’s announcement further cements Wayve’s status as a technology trailblazer here in the UK, and highlights how British innovation is helping drive investment and growth in transport.”
That reference to people already working in the sector will be particularly relevant to London’s taxi and private hire industry. While the vehicles launched today still require a licensed private hire driver, the longer-term development of autonomous ride-hailing could have major implications for professional drivers if the technology and regulatory framework eventually allow vehicles to operate commercially without someone behind the wheel.
The London launch forms part of a wider partnership between Uber and Wayve that includes an investment aimed at putting Wayve-powered vehicles onto the Uber network across 12 international markets, beginning with the UK capital.
Wayve says its autonomous technology is designed to work across different vehicle platforms and sensor configurations. The companies also plan to introduce Nissan LEAF vehicles using the Wayve AI Driver and NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion as part of their international expansion, with Tokyo expected to follow later this year.
