Uber launches first robotaxis in London (with human supervisors)

Robotaxis are finally roaming around London. Uber just announced that it now offers rides in autonomous vehicles via a partnership with the British AV company Wayve. 

Customers in the city who request an UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Electric ride could be matched with a Ford Mustang Mach-E that's been outfitted with Wayve's self-driving tech. Riders will be sent a notification before the AV heads their way, just in case they want a traditional vehicle. 

There were some serious regulatory hurdles to get this through. Uber just got its license to operate AVs in London last month, and this license mandates a human driver needs to be present at all times in a supervisory capacity. It could be a while before any company is granted the ability to use AVs without a human in the front seat.

Uber says AV pricing will be the same as its traditional rates. However, the company also says that customers will not be prompted to tip (in spite of the human supervisor). Passengers can still tip without the prompt by heading into the Trip History page. 

Uber's robotaxis have been wandering the streets on this side of the pond for a while now. The company operates AV fleets in Dallas, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Austin, with expansion plans for Los Angeles and the Bay Area.The company has also announced that its partnership with Wayve will be ongoing. Next up? They're teaming up to bring Nissan AVs to Tokyo.