Uber and WeRide to Expand Commercial Robotaxi Partnership to 15 More Cities
Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide have announced plans to expand their commercial robotaxi partnership and bring the service to an additional 15 cities over the next five years. This expansion comes after the successful launch of a commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi five months ago.
The companies have revealed that the expansion will include cities in Europe as well. Through this partnership, WeRide’s robotaxi services will be integrated into the Uber app. Similar to Uber’s collaboration with Waymo, Uber will handle network routing and fleet operations, while WeRide will be responsible for the autonomous vehicle technology.
Having recently gone public on the Nasdaq in late October, Uber and WeRide currently operate together in Abu Dhabi and have plans to expand to Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, they are working with local partner Tawasul Transport to manage fleet operations.
The focus of the additional 15 cities will be on locations outside of China and the United States. Uber has established over 15 partnerships with various autonomous vehicle technology companies in the last two years, spanning across ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking services. Recent partnerships include collaborations with May Mobility based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Volkswagen, and Chinese self-driving firm Momenta.
One of Uber’s most high-profile partnerships in the U.S. is with Waymo, which currently offers the Waymo on Uber service in Austin and will soon be expanding to Atlanta.
