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Robotaxis are being trialled mostly in the US, China, and a few specific niche places like the UAE and Singapore. Europe has been much slower to jump into robotaxi trials. But it’s edging into them now, and we have an announcement about the first robotaxi service launching in Switzerland — in Zurich.
In this case, the companies coming to town with their driverless taxi service are WeRide and Uber. These companies have partnered elsewhere, and they seem focused on trying to scoop up interest and market share as much as possible before competition comes to town. In Europe, they just announced a partnership in Madrid, Spain, a couple of weeks ago.
Robotaxi rides are expected to be available via the Uber app later this year.
Europe is a top economic market, so one would think companies would be eager to get a robotaxi foothold there. “Europe is a priority region for WeRide, and announcing two European markets in two weeks reflects the speed and efficiency of our expansion strategy,” said Jennifer Li, CFO and head of International at WeRide.
