Uber Technologies and Wayve have announced the official launch of supervised autonomous rides in London, marking the first time autonomous trips have been made available in the United Kingdom.
Londoners will now be able to be matched with a Wayve ride at no extra cost when requesting an UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort, with all upfront fares shown in-app.
Riders matched with a Wayve ride will be offered journeys in an all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicle equipped with the Wayve AI Driver, as well surround sensors.
The in-vehicle experience, which has been designed by Uber, utilises an interactive screen offering 64 languages, which allows riders to start their trip and view the vehicle’s planned path.
Those matched with a Wayve ride will be given the option to either accept or switch to a non-AV ride before their car arrives, with those choosing to accept able to unlock the doors and start the trip within the Uber app.
During the initial launch period, riders will be able to travel anywhere within London, apart from airports, and all AVs on the Uber network will be required to meet all of the company’s Safety Guidelines. This launch phase will also feature supervised autonomous rides, meaning a trained and TfL licensed private hire driver is onboard to oversee the trip.
Uber has stated that service will start with a smaller number of vehicles, which will then grow over time in-line with rider demand, readiness and regulation, with Londoners able to boost their chances of getting matched by opting in via the Trip Preferences section of their Uber app under Settings.
Alex Kendall, CEO and Co-founder of Wayve, said:We’re proud to introduce the Wayve AI Driver to the public for the first time right here in London, our home city and one of the most complex driving environments in the world.
Autonomous driving technology will complement the city’s rich transport network, and we’re excited for Londoners to experience it first as we begin our global rollout with Uber.
