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 announced the interest list on Monday in London along with a branded, black Ford Mustang Mach-E equipped with Wayve’s self-driving system. While Wayve is handling the autonomous vehicle tech, 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. After launch, Uber customers who request a ride on the app may be matched with a Wayve vehicle, at no additional cost compared with a traditional human-driven one.
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.
