Ride sharing firm Uber has announced that it will launch trials of level 4 (L4) fully autonomous vehicles on public roads in London.
The trial, which the companies say is the first of its kind in the Capital, comes as transport secretary Heidi Alexander confirms that the government will fast-track self-driving vehicle pilots to spring 2026.
As part of the plans, firms will be able to pilot small scale ‘taxi- and bus-like’ services without a safety driver for the first time – which could be available to members of the public to book via an app – before a potential wider rollout when the full Automated Vehicles Act becomes law from the second half of 2027.
The trials will draw on Wavye’s Embodied AI platform and Uber’s global mobility network.
Wayve and Uber said they will collaborate with the UK Government and Transport for London on the necessary permits and regulatory approval process prior to launch.
Uber said that that London and other UK cities have complex driving environments, with significantly different road layouts and traffic laws compared to the US, where the majority of global L4 testing has until now been conducted.
The companies added that the trial will be a “significant step forward” in bringing autonomous vehicles to the roads of Europe at scale and lessons learned in London will be used to develop the technology for the rest of the world.
L4 autonomous vehicles are highly automated and can handle most tasks without human interaction.
They are designed to be operated in certain geographic locations where the technology has maps and understand the conditions.
In some L4 vehicles, a driver can take control if necessary and they may be unsuitable for conditions such as bad weather.
“Wayve’s globally scalable AV2.0 approach makes them an ideal partner to bring Uber’s autonomous vision to reality in new cities around the world,” said Andrew Macdonald, president and chief operating officer of Uber. “Our vision is to make autonomy a safe and reliable option for riders everywhere, and this trial in London brings that future closer to reality.”
