WeRide and Uber Technologies have announced that they plan to launch Spain’s first commercial robotaxi pilot in Madrid.
“Spain is our fifth European market entry and further strengthens our position as a trusted robotaxi operator across the continent,” said Dr Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide. “Together with Uber, we’re combining our autonomous driving technology with their mobility platform to accelerate commercialization at scale.”
The service is expected to begin operations later this year, in collaboration with Madrid’s regional government (Comunidad de Madrid), with rides available via the Uber app. The parties expect the fleet to scale progressively, and are committed to adding hundreds of robotaxis as key performance milestones are met, including the expansion of fully driverless commercial service across core urban areas. The service will initially include trained vehicle operators.
In Madrid, the transportation service will be carried out with the support of Avomo, a Moove Cars Group company and Uber’s AV fleet operations partner in Atlanta and Austin, using WeRide’s autonomous driving technology.
“Madrid represents an important next step in our partnership with WeRide to bring autonomous mobility to more people around the world,” added Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery at Uber. “With a clear regulatory path and strong local partners, Madrid is a natural place to become a leading European market for AVs. We’re excited to help shape the future of autonomous mobility in Europe together.”
Powered by the WeRide One universal technology platform and WeRide Genesis general-purpose simulation platform, WeRide expects to efficiently replicate the operational success from its Middle East deployments, enabling a faster rollout of safe and reliable robotaxi services in Madrid.
This is the fourth of the 15 cities outlined in WeRide and Uber’s previous agreement, with another 11 cities to come by 2030.
“This launch will mark an important milestone in Avomo’s international expansion, which further strengthens our position as a global autonomous mobility operator,” said Manuel Puga, the CEO of Moove Cars Group. “After nearly two years of close collaboration with Uber in the United States, we are entering this next phase with a long-term vision and a strong commitment to building efficient, scalable operations across new markets.”
In related news, Waymo starts public rides with new Ojai robotaxi in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix