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Wayve, Uber Launch Supervised Autonomous Rides in London
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Wayve and Uber have launched supervised autonomous rides in London, in what Wayve calls the first autonomous ride-hailing service in the U.K. Londoners requesting UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort may be matched with a Wayve-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E at no extra cost. The service covers the city except airports.
The all-electric vehicles use the Wayve AI Driver and surround sensors, with a Transport for London-licensed driver onboard initially. Wayve said its system has been trained on London roads since 2018. The AV2.0 approach learns from experience rather than relying on HD maps or hand-coded rules.
The rollout begins with a small number of vehicles. Riders can accept the autonomous vehicle or switch to a conventional ride before it arrives, and can use the Uber app to unlock the car. An interactive screen in 64 languages shows the planned route. Uber said more than 140,000 London users have opted in for a chance to be matched with a Wayve vehicle.
This launch brings autonomous mobility to one of the world's most complex driving environments. It marks the first public deployment of Wayve's AI Driver. The service is part of a broader partnership to put Wayve-powered vehicles on Uber's network in 12 markets.
Wayve CEO Alex Kendall said the company is proud to bring the AI Driver to its home city of London. Uber's Sarfraz Maredia called the launch a major milestone in scaling safe, accessible AV technology. Both noted the significance of starting on some of the world's most complex roads.
The companies also plan to introduce Nissan Leaf vehicles using the Wayve AI Driver and Nvidia Drive Hyperion in Tokyo later this year. The supervised phase is expected to build public confidence and gather data. As the technology matures, the partnership could reshape urban ride-hailing.
