GoKawiilLondon’s first public robotaxi service is now live. Starting today, UK riders can hail a self-driving vehicle via the Uber app, through a partnership with autonomous driving company Wayve – though a safety operator will initially remain in the driver’s seat.
At launch, the rides will take place aboard the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E. The vehicles are outfitted with cameras and radar, allowing Wayve’s AI Driver to navigate with “full 360-degree visibility around the car at all times,” the companies said in a press release.
Eventually, rides can expand to other vehicles equipped with Wayve’s driverless tech. In fact, Wayve and Uber plan to open up self-driving trips aboard the Nissan Leaf in Tokyo later this year.
Wayve is one of a handful of autonomous vehicle (AV) companies looking to revolutionize urban transportation around the world. Competitors include Waymo, Zoox, Nuro, Avride and May Mobility – which all have partnerships with either Lyft, Uber or both. Waymo aims to launch its robotaxi service in London sometime this year, pending regulatory approval.
Unlike AV systems that rely on high-definition maps and hand-coded rules for perception and navigation, Wayve says it uses foundational AI models that allow its AI Driver to learn from real-world environments and then apply those driving skills “to unexpected scenarios, even without prior training exposure.” That means the tech can “adapt to new roads, vehicles, weather conditions and cities with unprecedented speed and efficiency,” according to the company.
The launch of the robotaxi service comes as Uber on Wednesday said it’s laying off around 10% of its staff. The cuts involve “simplifying team structures” by eliminating several management roles, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi noted in a message to employees, which the company later shared in a newsroom post. Uber plans to invest more in ride-hailing, delivery and robotaxi operations.
The Mach-E robotaxi is equipped with cameras and radar, allowing Wayve’s AI Driver to navigate with “full 360-degree visibility around the car at all times,” Uber and Wayve said. Uber/Wayve
Navigating the challenges ahead
Wayve was founded in 2017, and began operating on London’s public roads in 2020. That’s around the time Uber abandoned its own self-driving ambitions, opting to instead team up with more established players in the space.
In 2024, Uber and Wayve announced their collaboration, agreeing to bring Wayve-powered vehicles to the Uber network. That was followed by plans the following year to launch self-driving trials on public streets in London.
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