Wayve and Uber Move a Step Closer to Autonomous Rides in London

Key Terms

private hire vehicle licences regulatory

Licenses issued by local or national transport regulators that allow a vehicle and driver to carry paying passengers on a pre-booked basis rather than picking them up on the street; they typically set rules on safety checks, insurance, driver background checks and where the vehicle can operate. Think of them as official permits like business licenses for ride services — they matter to investors because their number, cost and the ease of obtaining or renewing them affect a company’s ability to grow, serve customers and generate revenue.

av trialling code of practice regulatory

A code of practice for AV trialling is a formal set of rules and guidance issued by regulators to govern the testing of autonomous or automated vehicles on public roads and controlled environments. It lays out safety requirements, reporting, consent and liability arrangements—like a rulebook for prototypes—so it affects permitting, development timelines, costs and legal exposure for companies working on self‑driving technology.

hd maps technical

High-definition (HD) maps are ultra-detailed digital maps that include lane-level geometry, precise road markings, traffic signs, curbs, and 3D features used by advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. They act like a highly accurate roadmap and stage directions combined, giving machines fixed reference points beyond what cameras and sensors alone can see. Investors care because HD maps support new mobility services, safety features, and recurring data or software revenue streams tied to vehicle automation and navigation.

geofenced domains technical

Web domains or online services that limit access, content, or functionality based on a user’s geographic location using IP address, GPS, or other location signals; think of a digital fence that lets some visitors in and keeps others out. For investors, geofenced domains matter because they affect where a company can sell, advertise, comply with local rules, collect revenue, and measure traffic—so geographic restrictions can change addressable markets, regulatory exposure, and monetization potential.

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• Transport for London have granted Private Hire Vehicle licences to Wayve’s autonomous vehicles
• More than 100,000 Londoners have signed up for chance to be first riders
• Later this Summer, a select few who have signed up to the Interest List will have the opportunity to take an early trip, as we fine tune the experience ahead of the full public launch

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) and Wayve’s partnership to bring autonomous rides to London has taken an important step forward after Transport for London (TfL) granted Private Hire Vehicle licences to a number of Wayve’s autonomous all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. The cars, which are equipped with the Wayve AI Driver and surround cameras and radar, were inspected to confirm that these vehicles meet all of TfL’s policy and safety standards.

The licensing of the vehicles completes the “triple-lock” requirement for Private Hire trips, where the operator, driver and vehicle must all hold licences with the same licensing authority. Trips will take place under the Government’s AV Trialling Code of Practice and Uber’s TfL Private Hire Operator licence. Wayve’s vehicles are designed to operate autonomously, and will do the driving, with a trained and TfL licensed private hire driver onboard to oversee the trip and provide support or take over driving if needed.

There has been strong interest from Londoners in the chance to take a trip in an autonomous Wayve on Uber. In the last eight weeks alone, more than 100,000 Londoners have signed up to join Uber’s Interest List, giving them a chance to be matched with a Wayve autonomous ride at launch. To help fine-tune the experience and inform the future of transport in London, later this summer, select riders who joined the Interest List will get access to Wayve rides to give feedback on the experience, as the companies prepare for the full public launch.

Sarah Gates, VP Global Affairs & Assurance, said: “This licence is an important step towards giving Londoners the chance to experience autonomous driving technology. The responsible deployment of these vehicles will bring us safer, cleaner and quieter streets, and we’re proud to continue working alongside regulators, communities, and the public as we take the next steps towards making autonomous rides a reality in the capital.”

Annie Duvnjak, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility Operations at Uber, said: “This licence is a key milestone in bringing autonomous rides to London on Uber. Our interest list has seen an incredible response from Londoners who are excited to experience Wayve's British-built autonomous driving technology.”

Wayve’s AI-first approach, known as AV2.0, moves beyond the constraints of traditional AV systems that rely on HD maps, hand-coded rules, or geofenced domains. Instead, Wayve’s AI Driver learns from experience like a human driver, enabling it to adapt to new roads, vehicles, weather conditions, and cities with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Built and trained on UK roads, Wayve’s autonomous driving technology has been testing in London’s challenging roads since 2018, and has since demonstrated its adaptability across more than 500 cities worldwide.

Uber is focused on making electric, shared, and autonomous transportation a reality. With more than 30 AV partners and millions of autonomous trips completed each year, the company is building the industry’s first hybrid network—where autonomous vehicles and drivers work side by side to make transportation more affordable, sustainable, and accessible for all.

About Uber

Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 75 billion trips later, we’re building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

About Wayve

Founded in 2017, Wayve is the leading developer of Embodied AI technology for automated driving. Its advanced AI software and foundation models for autonomy enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any environment, enhancing the usability and safety of autonomous driving systems. Wayve develops mapless and hardware-agnostic Embodied AI products for automakers and fleet owners, accelerating the path from assisted to automated driving. Backed by top investors like SoftBank Group, NVIDIA, Uber, and Eclipse Ventures, Wayve’s mission is to reimagine mobility with embodied intelligence. To learn more, please visit www.wayve.ai.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260805148313/en/

Uber: press@uber.com
Wayve: media@wayve.ai

Source: Uber Technologies, Inc.