Visualisierung: WeRide/UberAlthough the companies describe the initiative in Madrid as a pilot project, it is intended to operate as a public commercial service. Passengers booking robo-taxi rides via Uber’s app will be charged for their journeys. The companies have not yet disclosed the initial fleet size for Madrid, but confirmed that safety drivers will be on board during the early stages. These drivers will be able to intervene and take control from WeRide’s AI system if necessary.Hundreds of robo-taxis are expected to enter service over time, once key performance targets are met. This includes expanding fully autonomous commercial operations in central urban areas. The vehicles will be provided by WeRide, Uber’s Chinese partner, specifically the GXR model. This is a van introduced in October 2024, based on the SuperVAN platform from Geely’s commercial vehicle brand, Farizon. The GXR is equipped with WeRide’s Sensor Suite 5.6, which includes over 20 sensors, such as LiDAR sensors, high-resolution dynamic cameras, and a high-precision RTK inertial navigation system. Uber and WeRide have already been jointly operating this vehicle in the United Arab Emirates since November.Spanish fleet operator joins the initiativeThe third partner in Madrid is Avomo, a company within the Spanish Moove Cars Group, which will operate the vehicle fleet. It is important to note that the parent company is not to be confused with Moove from Nigeria, which manages fleet operations for the robo-taxi operator Waymo in Miami and Phoenix. Avomo is already the operator of Waymo’s robo-taxis in Atlanta and Austin, which run on the Uber platform.“Launching driverless Robotaxis in Madrid, one of Europe’s fastest-growing urban environments, demonstrates our ability to operate safely in complex real-world conditions. Spain is our fifth European market entry and further strengthens our position as a trusted Robotaxi operator across the continent. Together with Uber, we’re combining our autonomous driving technology with their mobility platform to accelerate commercialization at scale,” said Tony Han, Founder and CEO of WeRide.“Madrid represents an important next step in our partnership with WeRide to bring autonomous mobility to more people around the world,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & 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.”Uber has over 30 partners for its robo-taxi ecosystemThe collaboration between Uber and WeRide is far from exclusive. Uber has already partnered with around 30 companies for its robo-taxi offering, adopting an open approach as a ride-hailing intermediary—similar to its model for driver-operated vehicles—and aims to build its own ecosystem.“AVs amplify the fundamental strengths of our platform; global scale, deep demand density, sophisticated marketplace technology, and decades of on-the-ground experience matching riders, drivers and vehicles, all in real time,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in February during an investor call. The market ‘will unlock a multi-trillion dollar opportunity for Uber,’ which Uber aims to tap into, Khosrowshahi added.Just yesterday, we reported on a planned robo-taxi project by Uber in collaboration with Autobrains in Munich. Other recent robo-taxi announcements from Uber include partnerships with Lucid and Nuro, with Verne and Pony.ai, with Rivian, and with Zoox. Since the beginning of 2025, Uber has announced investments and fleet procurement programmes in the field of autonomous driving totalling over ten billion US dollars.weride.ai