Transport for London (TfL) has granted Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licences to a fleet of Wayve's autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E cars, clearing the final regulatory hurdle for the British startup and Uber to begin supervised robotaxi trips on the streets of the capital later this summer. The licences, disclosed by Uber and Wayve on August 4, 2026 and picked up by TfL the following day, complete what the industry calls the “triple-lock” requirement, under which operator, driver and vehicle must all hold licences from the same authority.
What the licence actually covers
The vehicles are all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E cars fitted with the Wayve AI Driver, surround cameras and radar — notably without a single LiDAR sensor or pre-built HD map. TfL inspected the cars to confirm they meet its policy and safety standards. Rides will run under the UK Government's AV Trialling Code of Practice and Uber's TfL Private Hire Operator licence, with a trained, TfL-licensed private hire driver onboard to supervise every trip and take over if needed.
100,000 Londoners on the interest list
Interest has run well ahead of capacity: more than 100,000 Londoners signed up to Uber's Interest List in the past eight weeks alone for a shot at an early ride. A select group from that list will be matched with Wayve rides later this summer to help fine-tune the experience before a broader public launch.
AV2.0, without maps or geofences
Wayve, founded in London in 2017, has spent years pitching an AI-first “AV2.0” stack that learns to drive from experience rather than depending on HD maps, hand-coded rules or tight geofences. The company says its AI Driver has been trained on UK roads since 2018 and validated across more than 500 cities worldwide, and Uber is layering the London deployment onto a partner roster that now spans more than 30 autonomous programs.
Union pushback
Not everyone welcomed the decision. The GMB union, which represents thousands of London private hire drivers, called TfL's approval “a worrying development” and urged the regulator to “proceed with extreme caution” on the wider rollout.
Related coverage on The Robotics Media: Uber opens London waitlist for Wayve robotaxis, Stellantis-Wayve-Uber Level 4 robotaxi MoU, and Baidu Apollo Go begins London RT6 testing.
Reporting based on coverage from Wayve, Uber, Investing News Network, City AM, Goodwood GRR and Bloomberg.