Uber Technologies and Wayve Technologies launched autonomous vehicle ride-hailing services on September 3.
It is the first autonomous ride-hailing service in the United Kingdom. When requesting an “UberX,” “Uber Electric,” or “Uber Comfort” ride, users may be matched with a Wayve vehicle at no additional charge. Fares are displayed in advance in the app.
The vehicles are electric Ford Mustang Mach-Es equipped with the Wayve AI Driver and sensors for monitoring their surroundings. Users can unlock the doors through the app and view the planned route on an in-car display.
At launch, each vehicle will be accompanied by a trained driver holding a private-hire license issued by Transport for London (TfL). The service will begin with a small number of vehicles, with the fleet to be expanded based on demand, operational arrangements, and regulatory developments.
The service covers all of London, excluding its airports. Users can increase their chances of being matched with a Wayve vehicle by enabling the autonomous vehicle setting under “Ride Preferences” in the app. More than 140,000 users have already enabled the setting, according to the companies.
Wayve is a developer of autonomous driving technology founded in the United Kingdom in 2017. It is developing autonomous driving technology that does not rely on specific sensors or hardware and does not require expensive sensors or high-definition maps. In Japan, it is also working with Uber, Nissan Motor, and Hinomaru Kotsu to eventually launch fully driverless operations, while SoftBank Group has also invested in the company.
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