WeRide and Uber plan to launch Spain’s first commercial Robotaxi pilot in the Region of Madrid, the fourth of 15 cities targeted under the partners’ global deployment agreement. The service is expected to begin operating later this year through the Uber app, in collaboration with the regional government, Comunidad de Madrid. WeRide will supply the autonomous driving technology, while AVOMO — a Moove Cars Group company and Uber’s U.S. fleet operations partner in Atlanta and Austin — handles day-to-day fleet operations.
Highlights
- Madrid is the fourth of 15 cities under the WeRide–Uber agreement, with another 11 markets planned by 2030.
- The pilot starts with trained vehicle operators on board before scaling toward fully driverless commercial coverage of core urban areas.
- AVOMO, which manages roughly 400 autonomous vehicles with more than 200 specialists across Atlanta and Austin, runs Madrid fleet operations.
- The partners aim to deploy tens of thousands of Robotaxis on public roads under the broader agreement.
First European Market for the WeRide–Uber Partnership
Madrid marks the companies’ first joint entry into Europe, extending a partnership that began in the Middle East. The deployment is the fourth city under their agreement to bring autonomous vehicles to 15 cities, with a stated goal of tens of thousands of Robotaxis on public roads by 2030. WeRide describes the Region of Madrid as one of Europe’s most attractive Robotaxi markets, citing strong mobility demand, a large urban population, and favorable policies.
“Launching driverless Robotaxis in Madrid, one of Europe’s fastest-growing urban environments, demonstrates our ability to operate safely in complex real-world conditions. Spain is our fifth European market entry and further strengthens our position as a trusted Robotaxi operator across the continent. Together with Uber, we’re combining our autonomous driving technology with their mobility platform to accelerate commercialization at scale,” said Dr. Tony Han, Founder and CEO of WeRide.
How Will the Madrid Robotaxi Service Operate?
Riders will hail vehicles through the Uber app once operations begin later this year. The fleet will start with trained vehicle operators and scale progressively as performance milestones are met, with the partners committing to add hundreds of Robotaxis and eventually expand fully driverless commercial service across the city’s core areas.
The vehicles run on the WeRide One universal technology platform and are validated through WeRide GENESIS, the company’s general-purpose simulation platform. WeRide says it expects to replicate the operational results of its Middle East deployments to speed the Madrid rollout.
AVOMO and the Asset-Light Operating Model
The pilot reflects WeRide’s asset-light strategy, in which partners contribute fleet investment and platform support rather than WeRide owning the operation outright. AVOMO, the autonomous-vehicle operations arm of Moove Cars Group, will manage the Madrid fleet; it already operates around 400 vehicles in Atlanta and Austin as Uber’s U.S. fleet partner.
“Madrid represents an important next step in our partnership with WeRide to bring autonomous mobility to more people around the world. With a clear regulatory path and strong local partners, Madrid is a natural place to become a leading European market for AVs. We’re excited to help shape the future of autonomous mobility in Europe together,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber.
“This launch will mark an important milestone in AVOMO’s international expansion which further strengthens our position as a global autonomous mobility operator. After nearly two years of close collaboration with Uber in the United States, we are entering this next phase with a long-term vision and a strong commitment to building efficient, scalable operations across new markets,” said Manuel Puga, CEO of Moove Cars Group.
Building on Middle East Deployments
The Madrid plan builds on fully driverless commercial services the partners already run in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with Riyadh expected to follow. WeRide’s vehicles have operated in more than 40 cities across 12 countries, and the company holds autonomous driving permits in eight markets, including France, Switzerland, and Belgium in Europe.
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