Uber and Wayve are launching a robotaxi service in London on Thursday, marking the city's first self-driving taxi service.

Londoners hailing a ride with Uber might be paired with its new Wayve robotaxis as part of a new trial. The arrival of the robotaxis in London has been a hot topic since firms like Waymo began tests on the capital’s streets,

Across the country, Uber has argued for a slower deployment of autonomous vehicles to ease the transition for drivers — and pushed for rules requiring ride-hailing platforms to have “hybrid networks” that combine self-driving cars with human drivers.

According to a report from the Financial Times, Uber and labor unions representing rideshare and taxi drivers are both working to slow the rollout of autonomous vehicles that offer rides with no driver involved.

London's robotaxi rollout gives passengers their first public opportunity to experience Wayve's autonomous driving technology through Uber. Human safety operators will oversee the early journeys, while riders can opt out.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the cuts will make Uber “faster and smarter” as it invests billions into autonomous vehicles.

By Akash Sriram Sept 2 (Reuters) - Uber Technologies will lay off about 3,300 employees, or 10% of staff, in its largest cuts since the COVID-19 pandemic, to better navigate the rise of robotaxis encroaching on its ride-hailing business.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the move will ‘make Uber simpler and faster’ and ‘create more capacity to invest in our future.’