Driverless Future Gains Momentum With Global Robotaxi Deployments

Ride-hailing firms and technology companies around the world are racing to deploy driverless taxis, betting that robotaxis will reshape urban transport and unlock new growth as regulation gradually opens up.

From China and the U.S. to Europe and the Middle East, companies are moving from pilots and safety-driver trials toward limited commercial rollouts, often in partnership with local authorities and fleet operators.

The eventual goal is to make urban transport safer and more affordable by cutting human error, reducing labor costs and enabling round-the-clock operations.

Here are some of the major robotaxi tests, trials and operations globally:

Uber, Lyft and Baidu

Uber and Lyft partnered with Chinese tech company Baidu in December to test its Apollo Go RT6 vehicles for self-driving taxi trials in the UK next year.

Wayve

Wayve, a British self-driving tech firm backed by SoftBank and Nvidia, partnered with Uber in August 2024 to bring AI to start advanced trials in the UK with plans to begin driverless tests in 2026.

WeRide

WeRide and Uber launched Level 4 fully driverless robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi in November, and a month later started robotaxi passenger rides on Uber’s platform in Dubai. A fully driverless commercial rollout in Dubai is expected in early 2026.

The company said it has started testing its robotaxis in Singapore, while its AV ride service, Ai.R is in trials ahead of an early-2026 public rollout.

The Chinese firm also secured a driverless robotaxi permit in Switzerland in November, and started services on Uber’s platform in Riyadh in October. Earlier this year, it began services in Guangzhou and Beijing.

Zoox

Amazon’s self-driving arm Zoox began offering free rides to select early users in parts of San Francisco, the company said in November.

It also launched its autonomous ride-hailing service on and around the Las Vegas Strip in September, offering rides to the public for free while waiting for state approval to collect fares.

Baidu

Baidu’s Apollo Go partnered UAE-based autonomous mobility company Autogo in November to test self-driving vehicles in Abu Dhabi with the city’s Integrated Transport Centre, with plans to expand and start commercial operations by 2026.

In China, Baidu had secured the first permits to commercially offer fully driverless robotaxi services in August 2022, allowing Apollo Go to operate without safety drivers in Chongqing and Wuhan. Since then, it has expanded to Shenzhen and Beijing.

The company also secured a permit to test its Apollo Go robotaxi in Hong Kong in November 2024.

It also partnered with Swiss Post’s PostBus in October to launch the AmiGo robotaxi service in eastern Switzerland, with full operations targeted for early 2027.

Waymo

Alphabet’s self-driving unit, Waymo, said in October it will launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in London in 2026.

The company rolled out services in Phoenix in October 2020, San Francisco in June 2024, and Los Angeles in November 2024.

In Tokyo, it partnered with Japanese taxi and limousine operator Nihon Kotsu in April to test autonomous vehicles in Tokyo, with drivers manually operating the cars during the initial phase in seven Tokyo wards.

Pony.ai

Chinese autonomous driving firm Pony.ai launched paid robotaxi services in Guangzhou in February, in Shanghai in August, and received Shenzhen’s first city-wide permit in October.

It also began testing its seventh-generation robotaxis in Beijing in July.

In January, the company said it planned to provide robotaxi operations in Hong Kong, initially serving airport staff within Hong Kong International Airport.

Tesla

Tesla began a limited paid robotaxi rollout in Austin, Texas, in June, using Model Y SUVs within a restricted city area, requiring a safety monitor onboard. The Elon Musk-led company is testing its vehicles without safety monitors.

The company also operates a ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area, and received a permit in November to operate in Arizona.

Momenta

Momenta partnered with Singapore-based Grab in December, in a deal that also included an undisclosed investment from Grab.

The company also teamed up with Mercedes-Benz and UAE taxi operator Lumo to launch a luxury robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi in December. Operations are slated to begin in 2026, with plans to expand to other global markets.

(Reporting by Arnav Mishra and Anhata Rooprai and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Leroy Leo)