Wayve launches autonomous ride hailing Taxis in London
With scenes from SciFi films such as Minority Report and i Robot showing an autonomous future, Wayve and Uber have teamed up to launch the U.K.’s first ‘supervised’ autonomous ride hailing service in London, beating Waymo and Tesla (plus others) to be the first.
The key word in that paragraph is ‘supervised’, meaning this is Level 4 autonomy with a driver present to act as a safety marshal ready to take over if edge cases present themselves.
Wayve explains this as “The initial launch phase features supervised autonomous rides, meaning a trained and TfL licensed private hire driver is onboard to oversee the trip.”
Customers in London who request an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort could be given a Wayve ride at no extra cost, with upfront fares shown in-app. However, over 140,000 people have registered their interest in their first robotaxi experience.
Vehicle and experience
The choice vehicle by Wayve is an all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E equipped with retrofitted Wayve AI Driver, a full surround sensor suite and uber integration. The latter features an interactive screen available in 64 languages where riders can start their trip and view the vehicle’s planned path.
Accept your Wayve ride: Riders will have the option to accept an autonomous ride or switch to a non-AV (autonomous vehicle) ride before the car arrives.
Familiar app, new experience: Riders can unlock the doors, and start the trip – all from their Uber app.
Operating area: Riders will be able to travel anywhere within London, apart from airports.
Safety is a top priority: Any AV on the Uber network must meet all of the company’s Safety Guidelines.
Gradual growth: Starting with a small number of vehicles and will grow over time in-line with rider demand, readiness, and regulation.
Update your Ride Preferences: Uber customers in London can boost their chances of getting matched by opting in via the Trip Preferences section of their Uber app under Settings.
Wayve London, September 2026
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.”
British-built technology
Autonomy maybe thought of as American or Chinese led, but Wayve is actually headquartered and founded in London, building and training their AI technology on the capital’s challenging roads since 2018. It’s no coincidence that Wayve is the first to launch in London, then.
Wayve and Nissan’s LEAF
Looking to its future services in London, as well as other global markets, Wayve and Uber will also introduce the all-new Nissan LEAF, powered by the Wayve AI Driver using NVIDIA DRIVE Hyperion, starting in Tokyo later this year.
The collaboration with Nissan could see the Sunderland made LEAF being fitted it with Wayve’s London focused hardware and software, bringing a fully British experience to London’s streets. Although, there is no confirmation on this tie-up just yet, only that the Ford Mustang Mach-E nears the end of its generational lifespan compared to the new LEAF that has only recently launched.
For now, the Ford will provide Wayve with a car for it’s “AV2.0” and AI Driver. This software and hardware suite learns from experience, like a human, providing opportunities to scale and adapt to London’s complex streets without relying on traditional HD maps or hand-coded rules. In effect, it’s not geo-fenced, rather its only approved for use London for now.
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About the Author
Graeme Cobb is a lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for writing about cars, EVs, industry updates and more.
You can find Graeme on 𝕏 at @graeme_cobb
