According to CNBC, on June 10, Uber announced a partnership with autonomous driving technology company Wayve to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing pilot project in the United Kingdom.
This pilot marks Uber's first attempt at offering rides without a safety driver present. Andrew MacDonald, President and Chief Operating Officer of Uber, stated that the partnership with Wayve brings the company closer to its vision of making autonomous transportation a safe and trusted option for riders everywhere.
Wayve CEO and Co-founder Alex Kendall commented, "This is a pivotal moment for the UK's autonomy industry. With Uber and a global OEM partner on board, we are preparing to deploy our AI Driver technology on the streets of London."
Uber noted that this pilot project is made possible thanks to the UK Department for Transport's "accelerated framework" for commercial autonomous vehicle trials. Both Uber and Wayve confirmed they will work closely with the UK government and Transport for London (TfL) to secure the necessary regulatory approvals and permits before launching the service.
Wayve, a London-based startup, specializes in developing software for autonomous vehicles. Its platform uses artificial intelligence to enable vehicles to interpret their surroundings and adapt to any environment.
Last year, the UK passed the Autonomous Vehicles Act, which the government said would pave the way for self-driving cars to operate on public roads by 2026.
By contrast, autonomous vehicles have already become a common sight in San Francisco. Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent company Alphabet, is providing commercial driverless ride-hailing services in the city. Meanwhile, other global players are racing to roll out their own autonomous taxi services.
