Uber Technologies and Wayve have launched supervised autonomous rides in London, marking the first time autonomous trips are available in the UK. Starting today (September 3), Londoners requesting an UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort may be matched with a Wayve ride at no extra cost, with upfront fares shown in-app.
Riders using the service will travel in an all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E equipped with Wayve’s AI Driver and surround sensors. Developed by Uber, the in-vehicle interface includes an interactive screen supporting 64 languages, enabling passengers to start their trip and view the vehicle’s planned route.
At launch, riders will be able to travel across London, excluding airports. Autonomous vehicles operating on the Uber network must meet the company’s safety guidelines. The initial phase will use supervised autonomous rides, with a trained, TfL-licensed private-hire driver on board to oversee each journey. The service will initially operate with a small fleet, with expansion planned in line with rider demand, operational readiness and regulatory requirements.
“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,” said Alex Kendall, CEO and co-founder of Wayve. “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.”
“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,” said Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility at Uber.
UK transport secretary Heidi Alexander added, “As this technology develops, we want to support new opportunities for investment and skills, while recognizing 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.”
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds commented, “From today, people will be able to step into the technology of the future as autonomous vehicles are rolled out on the streets of London, and that is a hugely exciting milestone for the UK. These autonomous vehicles use homegrown, British AI from Wayve, once again showing that we have the ability to be a genuine world leader in the AI transformation.”
UK-built technology
Headquartered and founded in London, Wayve has built and specifically trained its AI technology on the capital’s challenging roads since 2018. Wayve’s “AV2.0” approach uses an AI Driver that learns from experience, much like a human, enabling it to scale and adapt to complex environments without relying on traditional HD maps or hand-coded rules.
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