Londoners could soon catch a robotaxi to work — and tens of thousands are already signed up to ride. Wayve, a British company that builds AI self-driving software, and Uber have been granted approval from Transport for London to deploy autonomous taxis on city streets. The milestone comes after years of testing on London's notoriously tricky roads, making this one of the most advanced robotaxi programs in Europe.
The approval means Wayve and Uber can legally operate autonomous vehicles under London's private hire rules. For now, a trained driver must still sit behind the wheel to oversee each trip and step in if needed — a cautious approach that lets regulators and the public ease into the technology safely.
The cars being used are Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs packed with Wayve's AI brain, cameras, and radar. Transport for London inspectors checked them over to make sure they meet all safety and licensing standards before giving the green light. "The licensing of the vehicles completes the 'triple-lock' requirement for Private Hire trips," the companies explained, meaning the operator, driver, and vehicle all hold the right licenses from the same authority.
Interest among everyday Londoners has been striking. In just the last eight weeks, more than 100,000 people joined Uber's Interest List hoping to be among the first passengers. This summer, a select group of those riders will get complimentary trips in Wayve vehicles so the companies can gather feedback before opening the service to the wider public.
Wayve's approach is different from older self-driving systems. Rather than relying on detailed pre-mapped roads or hand-written rules, Wayve's AI learns from real driving experience the way a person would — understanding new streets, weather, and traffic patterns as it encounters them. The company has been training its technology on London roads since 2018 and has since proven it can adapt in more than 500 cities around the world.
Uber, for its part, has partnered with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies and facilitates millions of robotaxi trips each year globally. The company says it is building what it calls the industry's first hybrid network, where autonomous vehicles and human drivers work side by side to make transportation more affordable, accessible, and sustainable for everyone.
For Londoners watching self-driving cars roll out in cities like San Francisco and Beijing, this approval means they are no longer on the sidelines of the autonomous future — they are stepping into it.