Uber announced that its customers can register starting Monday for an opportunity to travel in London’s first robotaxis, which rely on artificial intelligence from British startup Wayve. The service is expected once regulators approve operations, anticipated in the coming months. Self-driving vehicles represent a key focus for the ride-hailing firm, which has collaborated with over 30 companies globally on autonomous freight, delivery and taxi options, completing millions of such trips already. In London, Uber is teaming with Wayve to offer rides equivalent to UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort, but operated by AI. This marks the first occasion for the public to request an autonomous vehicle in the UK, according to Wayve’s VP of commercial and operations. A trained operator will remain in the driver’s seat to oversee the system, though passengers should experience fully automated travel from pickup to drop-off. Plans call for completely driverless service later. Riders can join an interest list ahead of launch. The partners aim to introduce a new travel option in London and position the UK as a leader in autonomous technology. Users assigned an autonomous ride may accept it or switch to a standard option at no extra charge. The Ford Mustang Mach-e vehicles, marked as Uber x Wayve, use surrounding cameras and radar to gather data processed onboard. Testing on London roads began in 2018. During a Reuters test, the vehicle handled dense traffic, including buses, cyclists and pedestrians, without issues.
