Uber launches first robotaxi service in London

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Uber has announced the launch of a robotaxi ride service in London through a partnership with the British autonomous vehicle company Wayve.

According to a report by Engadget on Monday (7/9), customers in London who book UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Electric will have the chance to be served by a Ford Mustang Mach-E powered by Wayve’s autonomous driving technology.

Prospective passengers will receive a notification before the autonomous vehicle heads to their location, so they can choose a conventional vehicle if they prefer.

Uber obtained the permit to operate autonomous vehicles in London last month. The permit requires a human driver to be present inside the vehicle to carry out a supervisory function.

However, customers will not be asked to leave a tip even though there is a human supervisor inside the vehicle.

In the United States, Uber has already been operating a fleet of autonomous vehicles in Dallas, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Austin, and plans to expand the service to Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

The company stated that the partnership with Wayve will continue. It next plans to introduce autonomous Nissan vehicles in Tokyo, Japan.