Uber and AI company Wayve have received permits from London’s transport authority to launch a robotaxi service in the UK capital ahead of planned summer trials, the companies announced on Wednesday (5 August).
Transport for London (TfL) has granted private hire vehicle licences to several of Wayve’s autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles, allowing them to carry passengers.
The vehicles, equipped with autonomous driving technology as well as surround cameras and radar, have been inspected to confirm they meet TfL’s policy and safety standards, according to the companies.
Although fully autonomous, the vehicles will still have a TfL-licensed driver onboard “to oversee the trip and provide support or take over driving if needed”, the companies said in a statement.
Wayve can launch up to 15 such vehicles on a trial basis for one year, according to a Reuters report.
Uber said there has been “strong interest” in its robotaxi service after it launched a waitlist for customers in London, with more than 100,000 Londoners joining since June.
Annie Duvnjak, global head of autonomous mobility operations at Uber, said: “This licence is a key milestone in bringing autonomous rides to London on Uber. Our interest list has seen an incredible response from Londoners who are excited to experience Wayve’s British-built autonomous driving technology.”
Wayve, which is based in the UK, said its autonomous driving technology has been built and trained on UK roads, with testing in London underway since 2018.
The licence appears to put Uber and Wayve ahead of Waymo and Lyft (in partnership with Chinese tech firm Baidu), both of which have previously announced plans to launch robotaxis in the UK this year. Driverless taxis are among the trends and developments featured in BTN Europe’s Hotlist 2026.