American company Uber and British company Wayve are launching a robotaxi service in London. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Users of the Uber app in London can now be provided with a vehicle equipped with Wayve's autonomous driving technology, although there will still be a driver behind the wheel who can take control of the vehicle if necessary. The companies have not yet received permission from regulators for fully driverless rides.
This is the first instance where robotaxis are becoming widely available in London. Wayve's CEO Alex Kendall stated that this is significant considering that navigation in this city is more complex than in already established centers for robotaxis.
Specifically, the number of cyclists and pedestrians on London streets exceeds that of San Francisco by more than 15 times. Additionally, there are more complex intersections, such as roundabouts.
“Given all this, London is quite a complex environment for driving, but our artificial intelligence can handle it very smoothly,” Kendall said in an interview with WSJ.
Other players, including China's Baidu and America's Waymo (part of Alphabet), are currently only testing autonomous vehicles in London.
News from the automotive world is published with the support of REGO INSURANCE, which offers CASCO insurance. CASCO will help maintain financial stability in unexpected situations.
