Wayve and Uber have launched supervised autonomous rides in London, with riders requesting an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort now eligible to be matched with a Wayve vehicle at no extra cost. The companies describe the service as the first time autonomous trips have been available in the United Kingdom. Rides take place in all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles running the Wayve AI Driver, with a trained, TfL-licensed private hire driver on board to oversee each trip during the initial phase. Upfront fares are shown in the Uber app.
Highlights
- Wayve rides are available at no extra cost on UberX, Uber Electric, and Uber Comfort requests, with upfront fares displayed in-app.
- The in-vehicle screen, designed by Uber, supports 64 languages and shows the vehicle’s planned path.
- The operating area covers all of London except airports.
- More than 140,000 Londoners have opted in to be matched with a Wayve ride through Uber’s Trip Preferences.
How the Wayve Ride on Uber Works
Riders matched with a Wayve vehicle travel in a Ford Mustang Mach-E fitted with the Wayve AI Driver and surround sensors. The in-vehicle experience, designed by Uber, centers on an interactive screen where riders start the trip and view the vehicle’s planned route.
- Opt-out on every trip: Riders can accept the Wayve ride or switch to a non-AV ride before the car arrives.
- App-based access: Once the vehicle arrives, riders unlock the doors and start the trip from the Uber app.
- Operating area: At launch, trips can go anywhere within London except airports.
- Supervised operation: Any AV on the Uber network must meet the company’s Safety Guidelines. During this initial phase, a trained and TfL-licensed private hire driver remains on board to oversee each trip.
- Fleet scale: The companies say they are starting with a small number of vehicles and will expand in line with rider demand, readiness, and regulation.
- Matching preference: London riders can raise their chances of being matched by opting in through the Trip Preferences section of the Uber app under Settings. More than 140,000 Londoners have already opted in.
What Executives and Ministers Said
Alex Kendall, CEO and Co-founder of Wayve, said: “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. 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.”
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility at Uber, said: “We’re delighted to bring autonomous rides to Uber riders in London for the very first time, powered by Wayve, a homegrown British success story. 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.”
Heidi Alexander, UK Transport Secretary, said: “This is a major milestone for the future of transport in London, as British innovation brings this technology onto our roads and gives passengers more choice.
“As this technology develops, we want to support new opportunities for investment and skills, while recognising 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.”
Jonathan Reynolds, UK Business Secretary, said: “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.”
Wayve’s AV2.0 Approach and the Uber Partnership
Wayve is headquartered in London and has trained its AI on the city’s roads since 2018. The company’s “AV2.0” approach uses an AI Driver that learns from experience, which Wayve says allows it to scale and adapt to complex environments without traditional HD maps or hand-coded rules. Wayve also says its driving technology is agnostic to vehicle platforms and sensor configurations.
The London launch falls under the Uber and Wayve partnership, which included an investment to put Wayve-powered vehicles on the Uber network in 12 markets worldwide, beginning with London. As part of the future service in London and other markets, the companies plan to introduce the Nissan LEAF, powered by the Wayve AI Driver on NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion, starting in Tokyo later this year.
