Uber Technologies Inc. and British autonomous driving developer Wayve Technologies Ltd. have received permission to launch robotaxis in London, initially with safety drivers behind the wheel.
Transport for London (TfL) has issued licenses allowing a number of Wayve autonomous vehicles to provide services, according to a joint press release from the companies.
"Wayve vehicles are designed for autonomous driving and will control the driving themselves," the statement said. "However, a specially trained and TfL-licensed driver will be present in the cabin to monitor the trip and, if necessary, assist or take over control."
The companies noted high interest from Londoners in ordering Wayve autonomous vehicles through the Uber app. Over the past eight weeks, more than 100,000 users have joined the waiting list. Some of them will gain access to the robotaxis later this summer.
Last week, Chinese company Baidu announced it had begun testing robotaxis in London with Freenow, a service from Uber competitor Lyft Inc.