England, United Kingdom

Robotaxis in London

London, United Kingdom: Public rides with a safety operator: Wayve. 2 more entries in testing, announced or ended.

Zurich, Switzerland - WeRide (announced)Darmstadt, Germany - Deutsche Bahn (DB Regio) / RMV - KIRA (testing)DarmstadtFurttal, Switzerland - WeRide (testing)FurttalLuxembourg, Luxembourg - Pony.ai (testing)LuxembourgLondon, United Kingdom - Wayve (public, with operator), Apollo Go (Baidu) (testing), Waymo (testing)London

How to ride here

  • Wayve Open to the public - book in the Uber app. A safety operator rides along.
  • Apollo Go (Baidu) Not open to the public yet.
  • Waymo Not open to the public yet.

Services

Wayve

Public rides with a safety operator
  1. Testing
  2. Driverless tests
  3. Staff and invitees
  4. Public, with operator

Open to the public - book in the Uber app. A safety operator rides along.

Who can ride
Open to the public
App
Uber
Partner
Uber
Service area
Anywhere within London except airports
Area size
not published
Airport
Airports excluded
Highways
not published
Fleet (official)
Fewer than 20 cars at launch (Reuters, 2026-09-03); TfL approved up to 15 vehicles for a one-year trial (The Next Web)
Fares
Regular Uber fares; UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort requests may be matched with a Wayve car at no extra cost
Public driverless since
not published

History

  1. Testing with safety driver - Wayve has tested on London roads since 2018 source
  2. Public rides with a safety operator - Supervised autonomous rides on Uber, TfL-licensed private hire driver on board; vehicles licensed as PHVs in August 2026 source

Announced next

  • Announcement Fully driverless operation requires an Automated Passenger Services permit (DVSA, AV Act); no date given Target: not given. Announced . source
Sources (4)
  1. Wayve and Uber Launch First-Ever Autonomous Rides in the UK - Wayve, 3 Sep 2026
  2. Wayve and Uber Move a Step Closer to Autonomous Rides in London - Wayve, 5 Aug 2026
  3. Uber and Wayve launch London's first robotaxi service, with a safety driver in every car - The Next Web, 3 Sep 2026
  4. Uber and AI-firm Wayve launch London's first robotaxis - The Star (Reuters), 3 Sep 2026

Last checked - last change

Apollo Go (Baidu)

Testing with safety driver
  1. Testing

Not open to the public yet.

Who can ride
No riders
App
not published
Partner
Lyft (Freenow by Lyft)
Service area
Testing in the London borough of Brent
Area size
not published
Airport
not published
Highways
not published
Fleet (official)
Dozens of test vehicles (TechCrunch, 2026-07-28)
Fares
not published
Public driverless since
not published

History

  1. Testing with safety driver - Road tests of Apollo Go RT6 with human safety operators began in Brent with Freenow by Lyft source

Announced next

  • Announcement Baidu and Freenow by Lyft expect to invite the public to hail robotaxis in London in 2027, subject to approval Target: 2027. Announced . source
  • Announcement Separate Uber and Apollo Go pilot in London announced, testing expected from H1 2026 Target: 2026. Announced . source
Sources (3)
  1. Lyft and Baidu enter London's robotaxi battleground as testing begins - TechCrunch, 28 Jul 2026
  2. Freenow and Apollo Go launch London robotaxi trial - electrive, 29 Jul 2026
  3. Baidu teams up with Uber, Lyft to test robotaxis in UK - CnEVPost, 22 Dec 2025

Last checked - last change

Waymo

Testing with safety driver
  1. Testing

Not open to the public yet.

Who can ride
No riders
App
not published
Service area
not published
Area size
not published
Airport
not published
Highways
not published
Fleet (official)
not published
Fares
not published
Public driverless since
not published

History

  1. Testing with safety driver - Autonomous operation with trained specialists behind the wheel began source

Announced next

  • Announcement Launch 'by the end of the year' (2026), subject to regulatory approval; earlier plan was a driverless pilot in April and commercial rollout in September 2026 Target: 2026. Announced . source
Sources (2)
  1. Waymo begins autonomous driving phase in London - Zag Daily, Apr 2026
  2. Waymo robotaxi rides are now open to the public in Denver, San Diego and Tampa - Engadget, 1 Sep 2026

Last checked - last change

Rules in this country

  • United Kingdom - The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 (20 May 2024) creates authorisation of automated vehicles, operator licensing for no-user-in-charge use, and permits for automated passenger services (APS) that can disapply taxi, PHV and bus law. Applications for operating licences opened in May 2026. Until an APS permit is held, services like Uber/Wayve in London run as licensed private hire vehicles with a licensed driver on board under the AV Trialling Code of Practice; TfL granted PHV licences in August 2026 (up to 15 vehicles, one-year trial).