The global robotaxi rollout is accelerating faster than expected

[Skye Jacobs]

TL;DR: After years of controlled testing, 2025 marked a turning point for the global deployment of driverless taxis. Ride-hailing platforms and autonomous driving developers across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have begun transitioning from safety-driver trials to limited passenger services, betting that commercialized robotaxis will define the next era of urban mobility.

The goal, shared by nearly all major players, is to scale operations that reduce labor costs and human error while keeping fleets available at all hours. Progress remains closely tied to regional regulatory approvals and local partnerships that determine how far autonomous driving technology can advance commercially.

In the United Kingdom, Uber and Lyft have expanded their global footprint by partnering with China-based Baidu to test Apollo Go RT6 vehicles beginning in 2026. The initiative follows growing collaboration between Western ride-hailing firms and Chinese autonomous developers eager to enter new markets.

British startup Wayve, backed by SoftBank and Nvidia, continues to establish itself as one of the leading European firms in the space. It partnered with Uber in mid-2024 to begin advanced testing in the UK, with fully driverless operations targeted for 2026. Wayve's approach, focused on "embodied AI," combines neural network learning with real-world driving experience, distinguishing it from rule-based systems.

In the Middle East, Chinese firm WeRide and Uber jointly launched Level 4 driverless ride services in Abu Dhabi in late 2025 before expanding to Dubai. WeRide said a fully commercial, driverless rollout in Dubai is planned for early 2026. It has also begun testing in Singapore and secured driverless permits in Switzerland, operating through Uber's platform in Riyadh while maintaining services in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Baidu's autonomous driving unit Apollo Go accelerated its international expansion through several partnerships in 2025. In November, it began testing self-driving vehicles in collaboration with Abu Dhabi's Integrated Transport Centre and UAE-based Autogo, with commercial service expected to follow by 2026. Earlier in the year, Baidu signed a deal with Swiss Post's PostBus to launch the AmiGo robotaxi in Switzerland, with full operations targeting early 2027.

Within China, Baidu remains a dominant player, having received the country's first commercial driverless permits in 2022 for operations in Chongqing and Wuhan. Its service has since grown to include Shenzhen and Beijing, alongside testing approval in Hong Kong obtained in late 2024.

Alphabet subsidiary Waymo, one of the earliest leaders in autonomous ride-hailing, announced plans to begin operations in London in 2026, marking its first significant presence in Europe. The company continues to operate driverless fleets in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. It has been testing in Tokyo in partnership with Nihon Kotsu, where drivers currently oversee vehicles during trials.

Chinese competitor Pony.ai expanded its commercial presence throughout 2025, launching paid robotaxi services in Guangzhou and Shanghai while obtaining Shenzhen's first citywide permit for driverless operations. Testing of its seventh-generation vehicle platform began in Beijing, and the company announced plans to initiate robotaxi services for airport staff at Hong Kong International Airport.

Amazon's autonomous arm, Zoox, has expanded operations to major US urban centers. By late 2025, it was offering free rides to select users in San Francisco and the Las Vegas Strip while awaiting full approval to charge fares. Its custom-built robotaxi uses a bidirectional design optimized for urban density and operates without traditional driver controls.

Tesla took early steps toward its long-stated goal of offering a robotaxi service, starting limited paid rides in Austin using Model Y SUVs, with onboard safety drivers monitoring. The company, which continues to refine its Full Self-Driving system, is testing vehicles without human monitors and received approval to operate in Arizona in November.

China-based Momenta deepened its regional strategy in December by partnering with Singapore's Grab, which included an undisclosed investment. The collaboration coincided with a joint venture between Momenta, Mercedes-Benz, and UAE operator Lumo to create a luxury robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. Launch is scheduled for 2026 with global expansion to follow.

Image credit: Reuters

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The global robotaxi rollout is accelerating faster than expected

 

[yRaz]

This is one part of the future I'm actually looking forward to as considering how much I drive I see lots bad drivers. They other day I was in a parking lot, it was one of those that have diagnoal parking spots and one way lanes. A lady tried to turn the wrong direction in the parking lot as someone was trying to come out. She hadn't even fully turned yet and was at a complete loss as to handle the situation. An officer was about 20 feet away as this is happening, people are honking there horns and traffic is starting to back up. She was sitting there arguing with the officer and he just kept saying "back up and go straight". Nothing came of this situation, but I look at the people who have licenses who should not be driving. I'm not claiming to be a perfect driver, noone is, but the idea the some people's brains stop working as soon as they encounter a situation they didn't expect makes me beg for a future of self driving cars and autonomous taxis.

 

[passwordistaco]

What could go wrong?

 

[p51d007]

Until they get to the Johnny Cab level, forget it.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Yeah, I live in an area with a TON of Waymos and they generally do a decent job of getting around. Certainly no worse than any number of human drivers.

Yet to see a Waymo flip itself upside down by hitting a curb somehow.

 

[AlexIL]

I’m so fed up with Tech’s wishful thinking reports I can’t stand it anymore.

Robotaxis? Did you try that in Tel Aviv general area? No! Only 2 streets babysitting these taxis and reporting outstanding success. May be try them in Istanbul or Damascus? Perhaps Moscow or Kyiv? Hell no! Only several babysitting cities with perfect roads but reporting like sll the world gets that stuff by tomorrow morning. You suck at reporting lately TechSpot.

 

[toooooot]

This is one part of the future I'm actually looking forward to as considering how much I drive I see lots bad drivers. They other day I was in a parking lot, it was one of those that have diagnoal parking spots and one way lanes. A lady tried to turn the wrong direction in the parking lot as someone was trying to come out. She hadn't even fully turned yet and was at a complete loss as to handle the situation. An officer was about 20 feet away as this is happening, people are honking there horns and traffic is starting to back up. She was sitting there arguing with the officer and he just kept saying "back up and go straight". Nothing came of this situation, but I look at the people who have licenses who should not be driving. I'm not claiming to be a perfect driver, noone is, but the idea the some people's brains stop working as soon as they encounter a situation they didn't expect makes me beg for a future of self driving cars and autonomous taxis.

I think it won't be that good for many years. I see these videos with Chinese EVs damaging other cars or themselves all the time when they self park. So if anything, I expect to find my car damaged on a parking lot as often if not more for many years.
The one guaranteed outcome of these self-driving cars though, it will be a lot easier to prove your innocence when it collides with your vehicle. I assume most of them will records the accident, which means you wont need to argue it was not your fault if it was not.
Last of all, most of the bad drivers won't get into these significantly more expensive self-driving cars in a long time because of their lower income.

I think you are too positive in your hopes to drive on safer roads. I know this type of people who think that they can end death and accidents on the roads with limiting how a person can drive. Self-driving cars are the crown of creation to this belief in a way. If a person does not control the car, they cannot hurt other people/drivers. How long before (if ever) every car on the road is 100% self-driving? I do not believe we will see this in the next 20-30 years. We also saw what happens when current government does not care much about EVs which are the main category of self-driving cars. The industry slows down because they still cost too much and deservingly require more expensive insurance. That actually, is a very good reason to make EVs self-driving. I mean batteries that can burn a car in under a minute.

 

[yRaz]

I think it won't be that good for many years. I see these videos with Chinese EVs damaging other cars or themselves all the time when they self park. So if anything, I expect to find my car damaged on a parking lot as often if not more for many years.
The one guaranteed outcome of these self-driving cars though, it will be a lot easier to prove your innocence when it collides with your vehicle. I assume most of them will records the accident, which means you wont need to argue it was not your fault if it was not.
Last of all, most of the bad drivers won't get into these significantly more expensive self-driving cars in a long time because of their lower income.

I think you are too positive in your hopes to drive on safer roads. I know this type of people who think that they can end death and accidents on the roads with limiting how a person can drive. Self-driving cars are the crown of creation to this belief in a way. If a person does not control the car, they cannot hurt other people/drivers. How long before (if ever) every car on the road is 100% self-driving? I do not believe we will see this in the next 20-30 years. We also saw what happens when current government does not care much about EVs which are the main category of self-driving cars. The industry slows down because they still cost too much and deservingly require more expensive insurance. That actually, is a very good reason to make EVs self-driving. I mean batteries that can burn a car in under a minute.

I left very much open for me to be wrong. I'm hopeful for the future I want. I see a twinkling of hope between tech prices and the way the future might go. I doubt we'll see it, but I see an opportunity for us all to be beneficiaries of a possible future.

 

[wiyosaya]

This is one part of the future I'm actually looking forward to as considering how much I drive I see lots bad drivers. They other day I was in a parking lot, it was one of those that have diagnoal parking spots and one way lanes. A lady tried to turn the wrong direction in the parking lot as someone was trying to come out. She hadn't even fully turned yet and was at a complete loss as to handle the situation. An officer was about 20 feet away as this is happening, people are honking there horns and traffic is starting to back up. She was sitting there arguing with the officer and he just kept saying "back up and go straight". Nothing came of this situation, but I look at the people who have licenses who should not be driving. I'm not claiming to be a perfect driver, noone is, but the idea the some people's brains stop working as soon as they encounter a situation they didn't expect makes me beg for a future of self driving cars and autonomous taxis.

So instead of human drivers that have no clue, we will have robotaxis that have no clue. I think the robotaxis will be worse than the human drivers. The human drivers can be told what to do by a police officer; robo taxis not so.

 

[yRaz]

So instead of human drivers that have no clue, we will have robotaxis that have no clue. I think the robotaxis will be worse than the human drivers. The human drivers can be told what to do by a police officer; robo taxis not so.

Wow, counties that have nothing to do with musk or Trump are making fantastic gains in these areas. Who ****ing knew?

 

[Axeia]

So instead of human drivers that have no clue, we will have robotaxis that have no clue. I think the robotaxis will be worse than the human drivers. The human drivers can be told what to do by a police officer; robo taxis not so.

Robot taxis will just keep improving*, many humans... Yeah.

Well those looking to improve. Tesla with its genius idea of relying solely on cameras took a huge step back (it's why no-one wants to license their software).