Britons will be able to hire self-driving vehicles from today for the first time as Uber launches supervised autonomous rides in the capital.
From today (September 3), Londoners requesting an UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort may be matched with a Wayve ride at no extra cost.
British company Wayve has partnered with ride-hailing giant Uber to deploy all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E models in the capital.
The electric vehicles are equipped with the Wayve AI driver and dozens of sensors, with 64 languages available to suit the needs of passengers.
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On every trip, riders will have the option to accept or switch to a non-autonomous vehicle ride before the car arrives.
All rides will start through the Uber app and normal processes will remain, although drivers will be able to unlock the doors and start the trip from the app.
Uber has confirmed that drivers will be able to travel anywhere in London, except airports, from the launch of the new autonomous rides.
It added that the rollout would start with a small number of vehicles in the initial phase and will grow over time as rider demand increases and regulation catches up.
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility at Uber, said: “We’re delighted to bring autonomous rides to Uber riders in London for the very first time, powered by Wayve, a homegrown British success story.
“London is a world-class hub for transportation innovation and this launch is a major milestone in scaling safe, accessible AV technology in a city with some of the world’s most complex roads.”
London-based Wayve has built and trained its artificial intelligence technology on the capital’s roads since 2018.
Wayve’s “AV2.0” approach uses an AI Driver that develops and improves through experience in complex environments, which can be found across the capital’s road network.
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Alex Kendall, CEO and co-founder of Wayve, said he was “proud” to launch its AI technology in the company’s 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,” Mr Kendall said.
Uber is looking to expand its self-driving capabilities around the world, with Wayve-powered vehicles set to be seen in 12 markets around the world, starting in London.
The two companies will launch the Nissan Leaf into its fleet of vehicles using the Wayve AI Driver company, starting in Tokyo, Japan, later this year.
Commenting on the rollout, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described it as a “major milestone for the future of transport in London”.
She added that the developing technology had the ability to support investment and skills, allowing the sector to grow dramatically.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds added: “From today, people will be able to step into the technology of the future as autonomous vehicles are rolled out on the streets of London, and that is a hugely exciting milestone for the UK.
“These autonomous vehicles use homegrown, British AI from Wayve, once again showing that we have the ability to be a genuine world leader in the AI transformation.”
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