Uber opens UK interest list for Wayve robotaxis as Waymo tests 100 vehicles across London
Uber opened a UK interest list for Wayve autonomous rides — Ford Mustang Mach-Es with human safety operators, at standard fares, launching in the coming months pending regulatory approval — as Waymo tests roughly 100 Jaguar I-PACEs across 100 square miles of London, making this the first city where Uber's two AV relationships compete directly. The $300M tranche of Wayve's $1.5B raise, contingent on London deployment, reframes Uber as an equity stakeholder whose payout depends on Wayve taking ground Waymo is already testing.
Source: techcrunch.com ↗
After launch, Uber customers who request a ride on the app may be matched with a Wayve vehicle, at no additional cost compared with a traditional human-driven one.
Uber
Why this matters
- → Direct robotaxi competition erupts in London between Uber-backed Wayve and Waymo.
- → Uber's $300M conditional bet on Wayve signals shift toward multi-vendor AV strategy.
- → First major market where Uber's two AV partners face off simultaneously.
Robotaxi showdown