Uber opens UK sign-up list for Wayve robotaxi rides in London

Uber has opened a UK interest list that could place customers in line for Wayve robotaxi rides in London, turning the city into a practical test of who can win trust before anyone wins scale. The move comes as Wayve, Uber and Waymo all push into the same market with different playbooks, each trying to prove its system can satisfy regulators, insurers and passengers as autonomous service moves from trial to commercial reality.

Uber and Wayve first announced plans on June 10, 2025, for public-road trials of Level 4 autonomous vehicles in London, pairing Wayve’s AI-driven platform with Uber’s ride-hailing network. Wayve later said in February 2026 that it had secured $1.5 billion in new capital to support commercial rollout and that Uber would invest additional milestone-based capital to help scale Wayve-powered robotaxi deployments globally. Wayve’s investor materials now say those robotaxis will launch with Uber in London from 2026.

The London push now sits within a wider international expansion strategy. Wayve, Uber and Nissan said in March 2026 that they plan a Tokyo robotaxi pilot for late 2026, a sign that Wayve is positioning its system as a platform that can be layered onto multiple markets rather than a single-city experiment. In the background, London has become one of the first major European arenas where a software-led robotaxi model and a dedicated autonomous service could both be chasing the same riders.

Waymo has sharpened that competition by beginning autonomous vehicle testing on public roads in London in April 2026 and saying publicly that it wants to launch a commercial service there in 2026. The company says its driver has logged 200 million miles on public roads and billions more in simulation, and its London page invites people to sign up for updates. That gives Waymo a scale-and-safety narrative that differs sharply from Wayve’s software-first pitch through Uber’s existing network.

The policy backdrop may decide which approach wins out. Wayve signed a partnership with the UK government on May 12, 2026, to deepen collaboration on responsible self-driving deployment, while UK officials continue building the regulatory framework for autonomous passenger services under the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. In London, the first company to reassure City Hall, insurers and the public will not just be selling a ride. It will be setting the template for how urban transport is priced, regulated and accepted in the autonomous era.