We were waiting for the start of the autonomous taxis on the side of theGermany, as part of an agreement between Uber and Momenta. But Madrid Perhaps it will checkmate the pawn in Munich in this race for robotaxis that is struggling to find a winner in Europe.
Uber and WeRide They revealed their ambition in early June: to test autonomous vehicles "later this year" in the Spanish capital. At the start of this testing phase, which will also involve the Community of Madrid, human operators will be on board. Journeys can be booked via the Uber app.
For Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's Global Head of Mobility, " Madrid represents an important next step in our partnership with WeRide to bring autonomous mobility to the masses. With a clear regulatory path and strong local partners, Madrid is naturally poised to become a leading European market for autonomous vehicles. ".
The Spanish capital would thus become the fourth city out of the fifteen planned under the agreement reached between WeRide and Uber, with eleven more cities to follow by 2030. The two partners intend to build on the "proven track record" of WeRide and Uber in the Middle East, where fully driverless commercial robotaxi services are already operating in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with Riyadh to follow.
" Rolling out driverless robotaxis in Madrid, one of Europe's fastest-growing urban environments, demonstrates our ability to operate safely in complex real-world conditions. » assures Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide. He adds: « Spain is our fifth market in Europe and strengthens our position as a trusted robotaxi operator on the continent. With Uber, we are combining our autonomous driving technology with their mobility platform to accelerate large-scale commercialisation. ".
In the long term, Uber and WeRide plan to deploy tens of thousands of robotaxis on public roads, advocating for "safe and reliable autonomous mobility for users worldwide."
