Wayve has launched its first commercial public robotaxi service in London through Uber, commissioning 15 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with autonomous driving software developed by the British startup, Bloomberg reports.
Passengers can be offered a robot taxi with a controller when booking through Uber, and they can accept or decline this offer; the fare will correspond to regular trips, without requesting a tip. Cars can run throughout Greater London, with the exception of airports, and a Transport for London licensed driver is always ready to step in. Wayve expects to make thousands of trips every week and will charge Uber according to the amount of software usage. This launch is an important test for Wayve's universal "AI Driver," which learns from large amounts of driving data rather than relying primarily on detailed maps and hand-written rules. During the test ride, the car coped with heavy traffic, narrow streets, pedestrians, and a protest, although the insured driver intervened twice.
current automotive news in our telegram channelEurope is moving more slowly towards the adoption of robotaxis than the United States and China, due to stricter regulatory requirements and complex urban planning. A fully self-driving service will require additional vehicle certification, passenger service permits, and TfL approval, none of which the operators have yet received. Wayve plans to eventually use Nissan Leaf driverless cars, while Uber is investing over $10 billion in autonomous vehicle partnerships to become the leading robotaxi platform.