Wayve, Uber Win Approval for Supervised Robotaxi Rides in London

By Jiahui Huang

U.K. robotaxi company Wayve and Uber Technologies have secured approval to offer supervised robotaxi rides in London, as rivals race to launch competing autonomous ride-hailing services in the city.

Transport for London has granted private-hire vehicle licenses to a number of Wayve's autonomous vehicles, the companies said Wednesday. The vehicles will operate with a trained and licensed private-hire driver behind the wheel to monitor the trip and take control when necessary.

Riders who have registered their interest will be invited to access the service later this summer, the companies said.

The approval comes as global robotaxi companies compete to establish an early foothold in London, one of the most closely watched markets for autonomous driving outside the U.S. and China.

China's Baidu said last week that its Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing platform started road testing in London with Lyft-owned Freenow. Baidu plans to launch services for public riders starting next year via a partnership with Freenow. Alphabet's Waymo also plans to offer robotaxi services in the city this year.

The push into London reflects a race among autonomous-driving companies to commercialize robotaxis by expanding fleets and entering new markets.

Morgan Stanley estimates the global robotaxi market could reach $1 trillion by 2040, with unit economics broadly breaking even by 2028 and scaled operations emerging by 2030. The bank projects robotaxi fleets to number roughly 2.5 million vehicles globally by 2035.

Write to Jiahui Huang at jiahui.huang@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 05, 2026 06:09 ET (10:09 GMT)