Robotaxi Frenzy: Uber and Waymo Gear Up for London Showdown

The battle for London's streets is heating up as Uber and Waymo prepare to launch competing robotaxi services.

Uber customers in the U.K. can now join an interest list to increase their chances of being matched with a Wayve autonomous vehicle, another sign that the two companies are preparing to launch a robotaxi service in London. When that launch does happen, Uber will be competing directly with Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving company that is considered the robotaxi leader in the United States.

Uber has designed what happens inside, including how riders will interact with the vehicle through interactive touchscreens that support 64 languages. Uber has teased the impending robotaxi service, but has yet to provide an official date, only saying it will launch in the coming months, pending regulatory approval.

Riders can increase their chances of getting a robotaxi by going into their account settings, clicking on rider preferences, and selecting autonomous vehicles. If matched with an AV, riders will be able to decline it and opt for a human driver. The Wayve robotaxis will initially have a human safety operator behind the wheel before fully driverless operations begin in the future, Uber said.

The Competition Heats Up

Meanwhile, Waymo is also on London’s streets, testing its autonomous vehicles with human safety operators. The company is testing about 100 of its autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles in a 100-square-mile area of the city. This development adds to the growing competition between the two companies.

A Complicated Partnership

The impending showdown is complicated by Uber and Waymo’s existing partnership in the United States — one that is already showing signs of wear. The two companies, once rivals in a trade secrets lawsuit, agreed to work together in 2023 when Waymo put its self-driving vehicles on Uber's app in Phoenix. That partnership has been relatively limited, though, since Waymo lets Phoenix customers directly hail a robotaxi through its own app as well.

Regulatory Hurdles

There is one regulatory hitch that will delay the robotaxi face-off, at least for a while. The U.K. government is in the process of creating autonomous vehicle regulations, and it doesn’t appear to be wrapping up anytime soon. The government’s transportation department opened applications in May for companies interested in its AV pilot program. The department said it will take what it learns from the pilot program and apply it towards the development of its regulations.