Uber beat out Waymo in launching a commercial robotaxi service in London, the city’s first. The vehicles use autonomous driving tech developed by Wayve, a UK-based startup, and will initially feature safety drivers behind the wheel.

The first Ford Mustang Mach-E EVs fitted with Wayve’s autonomous driving tech can now be hailed in London on the Uber app.

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.

(TestMiles) – Tesla’s purpose-built robotaxi arrives as ride-share giants race to make autonomous cars partners before they become competitors. Tesla is about to make its autonomous-vehicle ambitions much harder to dismiss as a side project.

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

Uber is laying off about 3,300 people, or about 10% of its global headcount, in a bid to reduce management layers and invest more in its ride-sharing, delivery, and robotaxi divisions.

He was trying to cover just 2.3 miles. The robotaxi told him it would take well over an hour. The post Tesla “Ambassador” Melts Down Over “Horrible” Robotaxi Ride, Says He Had to Call an Uber After Total Self-Driving Failure appeared first on Futurism.