Uber is gearing up to introduce robotaxis on the streets of London, creating excitement among riders who are eager to experience Wayve’s autonomous vehicles. The company has launched an interest list for customers who want to be among the first to hail one of these driverless cars when the service officially launches later this year. This move marks a significant milestone in one of Uber’s largest markets and will serve as an early test to gauge interest in autonomous ride-hailing services outside of the US and China, where such services are already operational.
To join the interest list for a ride in an Uber x Wayve driverless car, Londoners can simply navigate to the Uber app settings and select “join interest list” in the “autonomous vehicles” section under “ride preferences.” By signing up, customers will have a higher chance of being matched with a Wayve autonomous vehicle at launch and will receive updates on the service rollout.
While an exact launch date has not been disclosed by Uber or Wayve, both companies have stated that the service will go live in the coming months. Customers who are matched with a Wayve vehicle will receive a notification in the Uber app and will have the option to opt for a non-autonomous vehicle ride instead. The pricing for rides in a Wayve vehicle will be the same as UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort, with no additional cost for choosing the autonomous option.
The launch of the service is being positioned as a phased rollout rather than a citywide robotaxi service, with negotiations still ongoing with local authorities regarding the scope and scale of the operation. While details on which parts of London will be covered and the size of the fleet remain undisclosed, Wayve’s Victor Charoonsophonsak mentioned that the initial fleet will consist of a mid-to-high single-digit number of cars.
It is important to note that the first rides will not be fully driverless, as current regulations in London require a safety driver to be present in the vehicle at all times. Uber and Wayve have not specified when these safety drivers will be phased out in the future.
The interest list from Uber comes at a time when efforts are underway to introduce robotaxis on London’s roads. While the UK currently does not have any fully driverless vehicles operating on public roads, several companies are conducting tests in this area. The government has indicated that fully driverless ride-hail pilots could commence as early as spring 2026, with larger rollouts expected by late 2027 when the Automated Vehicles Act of 2024 comes into full effect.