Uber, Wayve launch UK's first autonomous rides in London — SkimNews
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- Uber and Wayve launched what they call Britain's first autonomous ride-hailing service in London, where UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort riders may be matched with a Mustang Mach-E fitted with the Wayve AI Driver
- The autonomous ride doesn't cost extra and passengers can decline or switch to a regular Uber before the car arrives; service covers London trips excluding airports
- A Transport for London-licensed driver remains behind the wheel ready to take over, since the service is not yet fully driverless
- More than 140,000 Londoners have already opted in through the Trip Preferences section; riders unlock the car via the app, with in-car screens showing the planned route in 64 languages
- London-based Wayve has been training its AI on the capital's roads since 2018 and says its software adapts to different cities, vehicles, and sensor setups; the initial fleet is described only as a "small number"
- Nissan Leafs running Wayve's AI on NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion hardware are set to join Uber in Tokyo later this year as part of a 12-market expansion deal tied to Uber's investment in Wayve
- The UK government opened applications in May for a pilot allowing commercial autonomous passenger services without safety drivers, but the broader Automated Vehicles Act isn't expected to be fully implemented until the second half of 2027
Why it matters: Uber is putting its money behind Wayve's city-agnostic AI with a 12-market rollout starting in London, betting that adapting to one of Europe's most chaotic driving environments de-risks the rest. But the UK still gates fully driverless commercial service behind safety, cybersecurity, and local approvals not expected to clear until H2 2027, so every paid ride for now comes with a human safety net.
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