Uber customers in the UK can now join an interest list to increase their chances of being matched with a Wayve autonomous car – another sign that the two companies are preparing to launch a robotaxi service in London. When it launches, Uber will compete directly with Alphabet’s self-driving company Waymo, which is considered the leader in robotaxi in the US.
Uber announced its list of interest in London on Monday, along with a branded, black Ford Mustang Mach-E equipped with Wayve’s self-driving system. While Wayve handled the autonomous car technology, Uber designed what goes on inside, including how drivers will interact with the car through interactive touchscreens that support 64 languages.
Uber has teased its upcoming robotaxi service, but has yet to give an official date, saying only that it will launch in the coming months pending regulatory approval. Uber customers who apply to use the app can be matched with a Wayve car at no extra cost compared to a traditional human-driven car once it’s launched.
Drivers can increase their chances of getting a robotaxi by logging into their account settings, clicking driver options, and selecting autonomous vehicles. If compatible with AV, drivers will be able to opt out of it and opt for a human driver. Uber said it will have a human safety operator behind the wheel of the Wayve robotaxis before fully driverless operations begin in the future.
Meanwhile, Waymo is also on the streets of London. In April, Waymo began testing its autonomous vehicles with human security operators. The company is testing about 100 autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in a 100-square-mile area of the city.
The looming conflict is complicated by Uber and Waymo’s existing partnership in the United States — which is already showing signs of wear and tear. The two companies are once rivals a trade secret claimThey agreed to work together when Waymo launches self-driving vehicles in 2023 In the Uber app In Phoenix. However, this partnership is relatively limited as Waymo allows Phoenix customers to purchase the robotax directly through its app.
The pair expanded the partnership in March 2025, when Waymo agreed to put its cars on the Uber app in Austin and later in Atlanta. In both of these cities, potential customers cannot purchase a robotax directly through the Waymo app and must use the Uber app and hope for a match.
The relationship between the two companies continued even though they appeared to be drifting apart in other areas. Uber has invested in and partnered with dozens of autonomous vehicle companies over the past two years, including Wayve.
Uber executives also took direct shots at Waymo, an unusual way to treat a business partner. For example, Praveen Neppalli X, CTO of Uber, posted a video and comments. dangerous behavior a Waymo robotaxi, calling it “scary.”
The ride-hailing giant has launched two new business units — a data game called AV Labs and an operations-focused division called Uber Autonomous Solutions — that show the company’s broader ambitions to gain market share in the nascent autonomous car industry.
Uber Waymo has placed a lot of bets on autonomous car companies that can compete with Wayve, in particular. UK startup in February attracted 1.2 billion dollars from a number of strategic backers, including as an investor who backed Uber. The total increase could reach $1.5 billion, thanks to an additional $300 million provided by the Uber contingent to deploy robot-axis starting in London.
There’s a regulatory hurdle that will delay Robotaxis’ arrival, at least for a while. The UK government is in the process of creating regulations for autonomous vehicles, and it won’t be over anytime soon. The government’s transport department opened applications in May for interested companies AV pilot program. The department said it will take what it learns from the pilot program and apply it to rulemaking.
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