Uber launches its robotaxis in another European country at the end of 2026

On June 2, Uber and WeRide formalized a robotaxis pilot in Madrid, presented as the first commercial autonomous taxi service in Spain. The Spanish capital becomes the duo's fourth playground, after Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh. First notable difference: this is their very first joint deployment in Europe.

Concretely, the principle does not change for the user. You open the Uber application, choose your destination, and an autonomous vehicle may be among the options offered. The driving technology comes from WeRide, a Chinese company specializing in autonomous systems. The daily management of the fleet falls to AVOMO, a subsidiary of the Moove Cars group which already operates Uber vehicles in Atlanta and Austin, in the United States.

The launch is expected by the end of the year, in collaboration with the Community of Madrid, the regional government. The fleet will start small, with a gradual increase in power: the partners are talking about hundreds of robotaxis in the long term, as performance objectives are achieved. Madrid is part of a broader agreement between Uber and WeRide, which targets 15 cities worldwide by 2030.

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A robotaxi… with a human at the wheel

This is the detail that the word “robotaxi” tends to make us forget. At launch, the cars will drive with a trained safety operator sitting in the driver's seat, ready to take over. Complete “driverless” will come later, and only if the famous performance milestones are reached. In other words, the first Madrid customer will get into an autonomous car monitored by a human: this is the norm for all European launches so far, not an exception.

This caution is no coincidence. Uber's model is entirely based on partnerships since it sold its own autonomous driving division in 2020. The firm is therefore stacking alliances: WeRide here, but also other technological players for level 4 autonomous driving elsewhere. WeRide, for its part, is capitalizing on its experience with Golfe: the company already claims autonomous driving licenses in France, Switzerland and Belgium.

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Madrid rather than Paris, and it’s no coincidence

Why Spain and not France? Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility at Uber, praised “a clear regulatory framework” in Madrid. This is where it all comes down to: without a green light from the authorities, a robotaxi remains a model. Europe is moving forward city by city, depending on local authorizations, while Chinese manufacturers and players are accelerating in Europe. WeRide presents itself as the first robotaxis company listed on the stock exchange, and Madrid becomes its fifth European market.

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