Where self-driving taxi and shuttle services stand in the UK and Europe: who is operating where, at what stage, and under which rules. Every entry links to its sources.
Disclosure: YA Transit is a pre-launch, would-be operator and is not affiliated with any company listed. This tracker reports public information neutrally.
Operators by city
Who is testing or running services, and where
23 entries: 9 in the UK and 14 elsewhere in Europe. Fleet sizes appear only where the operator, project or licensing authority has officially stated them.
Status legend
AnnouncedA company or public body has publicly announced plans for a service or trial in this place. No public-road testing confirmed yet.
Testing with safety driverAutomated vehicles are being tested on public roads with a trained safety driver on board. No public passengers.
Passenger rides with safety driverMembers of the public (paying, free or pre-registered) can ride, with a safety driver or operator on board.
Driverless testingVehicles run on public roads with nobody in the driving seat, as a test (sometimes with invited passengers).
Driverless commercialA service open to the public with no safety driver on board.
PausedThe operator has temporarily stopped the service.
EndedThe trial or service has finished.
Self-driving taxi and shuttle services in the UK and Europe, by place and operator. Last verified 19 October 2026.
Place
Operator
Status
Fleet (official)
Notes
Sources
LondonUnited Kingdom
Wayve with UberRobotaxi
Passenger rides with safety driverSince 3 Sep 2026
Up to 15TfL approved Wayve’s modification on up to 15 vehicles on a trial basis (TfL FOI response, Sep 2026)
Supervised rides on the Uber app since 3 Sep 2026, with a TfL-licensed private hire driver on board. The service runs under private hire licensing, not the new driverless permit scheme. In an FOI response published on 1 Oct 2026, TfL said 14 of the vehicles had been licensed (13 on 3 Aug and one on 18 Aug 2026) and one was still to be inspected.
Connector (Greater Cambridge Partnership; operated by Whippet, technology from Fusion Processing, Alexander Dennis buses)Shuttle (self-driving bus)
Passenger rides with safety driverSince 24 Jun 2025; last confirmed Oct 2026
3 buses“Three cutting-edge buses for passenger trials” (Greater Cambridge Partnership)
Free timetabled self-driving bus trials with a trained safety driver on board at all times: from 24 Jun 2025 between Madingley Road Park & Ride, Eddington and Cambridge West, and from 17 Dec 2025 linking Trumpington and Babraham Road Park & Rides with the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. In Aug 2026 the government-funded Commercialising Connector project (£3.88m) was announced to extend the trials. The organisers say services may not run every day. On 19 Oct 2026 the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Cambridge West route page said Connector was running there; its Cambridge Biomedical Campus page described the trial as in progress and said services may not run every day.
Autonomous driving with trained specialists behind the wheel since 14 Apr 2026. Waymo said in Oct 2025 that it intends to offer rides with no human behind the wheel in London in 2026, subject to permissions.
Road testing of Apollo Go RT6 vehicles with safety operators on board began on 28 Jul 2026, starting in the borough of Brent. The companies plan to welcome public riders from 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
On 14 Oct 2026 Uber said it had partnered with Verne and Pony.ai to pilot autonomous vehicles in Manchester, building on their Zagreb service, and that Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis were now testing there; Pony.ai said testing was under way. The Guardian reported that the cars are mapping the city’s streets with a safety driver behind the wheel and no passengers. Transport for Greater Manchester told the Guardian that no applications had been made to operate driverless taxis in Greater Manchester. No date for passenger rides has been given.
Uber announced in Dec 2025 that it planned to test Apollo Go vehicles in London. On 28 Jul 2026 Uber said the vehicles were “on the road as we work towards testing and launch”. We have not found a confirmed start date for Uber’s supervised testing, so this stays at Announced.
On 8 Oct 2026 Uber announced an expansion of its partnership with Pony.ai to bring Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis to London. The companies said testing would begin in the coming weeks. They have not said who will own and operate the fleet, or when public rides could start. As of 19 Oct 2026 we have found no confirmation that testing in London has begun. On 14 Oct 2026 Uber and Pony.ai said testing had started in Manchester (listed separately).
Nissan (ADventure research project, with WMG at the University of Warwick and PAVE UK)Robotaxi-style mobility service (research trial)
AnnouncedAnnounced 27 Sep 2026
1 test carOne specially equipped 2022 Nissan LEAF test car (Nissan)
A £3m research project backed by the UK Government’s CAM Pathfinder programme to study how an autonomous passenger mobility service could work in Cambridge, combining real-world testing with community engagement. Nissan says the project will end with a public-road demonstration in Cambridge. No start date for public-road testing has been given.
Oxa (SAMS project led by Sunderland City Council, with Stagecoach)Shuttle
EndedEnded Mar 2025
1 shuttleOne autonomous Ford E-Transit shuttle (Oxa)
Sunderland Advanced Mobility Shuttle (SAMS): a four-week trial carrying pre-registered public passengers with a safety driver on board, linking Park Lane Interchange and Sunderland Royal Hospital. The trial ended in March 2025.
Driverless testingSince 10 Sep 2026 (public rides with an operator on board since 8 Apr 2026)
Not officially stated
Paid public rides with an AV operator on board since 8 Apr 2026 (Verne app), also bookable on the Uber app since 19 Aug 2026. On 10 Sep 2026 Verne and Pony.ai began fully driverless test rides for invited passengers on a 22 km route to Zagreb Airport. The public service still has an operator on board. On 13 Oct 2026 Verne’s chief executive told AFP that he hopes to open fully driverless rides to the public next year.
MOIA (Volkswagen Group), ALIKE project led by HOCHBAHNRobotaxi (ride-pooling)
Passenger rides with safety driverSince 15 Jul 2026
Up to 10“Up to ten autonomous MOIA vehicles” (MOIA)
Since 15 Jul 2026, selected pre-registered residents can book free shared rides in the self-driving ID. Buzz through the MOIA app, with a trained safety operator on board. The initial area covers parts of Winterhude, Barmbek and Wandsbek. On 27 Sep 2026 heise online, citing WirtschaftsWoche, reported that Volkswagen is examining options for MOIA’s future, from new investors to closure, by the end of 2026. We have not seen an official statement on the Hamburg service.
iamo (Swiss Transit Lab, SBB and the cantons of Zurich and Aargau; technology partner WeRide)Robotaxi (on-demand)
Passenger rides with safety driverSince 28 Sep 2026
3 carsThree passenger cars (iamo); minibuses are planned later
Since 28 Sep 2026 members of the public can book paid rides (CHF 4.70 plus CHF 0.38 per km) in the iamo app, daily from 1pm to 5pm, between almost 100 stops in Boppelsen, Dänikon, Hüttikon and Otelfingen. A safety person sits in the driver’s seat. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO/ASTRA) approved automated driving for the pilot in Nov 2025. Rides without a safety person are planned later with minibuses, subject to FEDRO approval.
Ruter with Holo (vehicles and app from MOIA)Robotaxi (ride-pooling)
PausedPaused since 28 Feb 2026
6 (planned)Six Volkswagen ID. Buzz from autumn 2026 (Ruter); the pilot began in late 2023 with five NIO ES8
Ruter paused its self-driving pilot from 28 Feb 2026 while new vehicles were brought in. Its project page (updated 15 Oct 2026) still says the service will open to passengers in September 2026, with a safety operator in the driver’s seat. As of 19 Oct 2026 we have found no announcement that it has restarted.
beti with WeRide (with Renault Group and Macif)Shuttle (robobus)
Passenger rides with safety driverSince 10 Mar 2025; last confirmed Apr 2026
Not officially stated as a number (WeRide: “several” eight-passenger robobuses)
A 3.3 km public-road shuttle route between Valence TGV station and the Rovaltain business park, which started on 10 Mar 2025. WeRide called it fully driverless, but France 3 reported in April 2026 that a safety agent was still on board, due to leave the vehicle in early 2027. That report said the current trial phase ran until 4 Apr 2026. Last confirmed in April 2026.
BVG (NoWeL4 project), with Volkswagen and MOIAShuttle (on-demand ride-pooling)
Testing with safety driverSince Oct 2025; passenger trials delayed (last confirmed Jul 2026)
5Five VW ID. Buzz AD minibuses (BVG)
Level 4-capable VW ID. Buzz AD vehicles have been tested on public roads in parts of Spandau, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and Reinickendorf since Oct 2025, with a safety driver on board and no passengers. Free rides for selected test participants were planned for the first half of 2026; in Jul 2026 BVG told dpa it now aims to start passenger operation “bestenfalls noch in diesem Jahr” (at best, later this year).
PostBus (AmiGo) with Baidu Apollo GoRobotaxi (on-demand)
Testing with safety driverSince 1 Jun 2026
Current fleet not stated; PostBus plans regular operation with up to 25 vehicles without safety drivers from 2027
Under a special permit from the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO), Apollo RT6 vehicles have driven in automated mode with safety drivers on board since 1 Jun 2026, across an 80 km² area in St. Gallen and the two Appenzell cantons. No customers yet: PostBus’s autumn update (29 Sep 2026) says the booking app for a first test-user group is being developed and tested.
HOCHBAHN (ALIKE project), with HOLON urban shuttlesShuttle (on-demand ride-pooling)
Testing with safety driverTest drives since autumn 2025
Not officially stated; up to 20 vehicles are planned across HOCHBAHN and MOIA in the ALIKE project (HOCHBAHN)
HOCHBAHN’s HOLON urban minibus (up to 15 passengers) has been on test drives in Hamburg since autumn 2025. HOCHBAHN says its autonomous shuttle is now in test operation on Hamburg’s roads, still without passengers, and that a safety driver will be on board throughout the project. HOCHBAHN says test users will be able to ride from 2026, booking through the hvv switch app. On 19 Oct 2026 HOCHBAHN’s project page still described the shuttles as in test operation without passengers, and we have not found confirmation that passengers have ridden in the HOLON shuttle yet. The KBA’s list of testing approvals includes a Level 4 approval for HOLON GmbH dated 19 May 2026. MOIA’s ID. Buzz service in the same project is listed separately.
Uber and Autobrains announced a Munich robotaxi programme on 1 Jun 2026, subject to regulatory approval. BR24 reported on 18 Sep 2026 that Autobrains had been testing a small number of cars in Munich for about three months, always with a safety driver behind the wheel. The KBA’s list of testing approvals includes Level 3 approvals for Autobrains AI Technologies GmbH from Jun and Jul 2026, limited to defined test areas. Autobrains told BR24 it aims to start carrying passengers with Uber in 2027 and to remove the safety driver by the end of 2027.
Bolt, Pony.ai and Stellantis announced a year-long autonomous mobility testing pilot in Luxembourg on 9 Jun 2026, aiming for driverless readiness by the end of the programme. AFP reported that the pilot had begun in the town of Bissen, with plans to expand to Luxembourg City, and that a safety driver stays on board throughout. On 12 Oct 2026 the Commune of Niederanven said Pony.ai’s BAIC Arcfox T5 test vehicles would be on its roads in the coming weeks and months, under a scientific testing permit from the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, with a trained operator always on board. No public passenger rides have been announced.
Uber and Momenta announced plans in Sep 2025 for Level 4 testing in Munich in 2026. The KBA’s list of testing approvals (dated 18 Aug 2026) includes a Level 4 approval for Momenta Europe GmbH dated 8 Jul 2026, with no local restriction. On 5 Oct 2026 Uber’s CEO told Handelsblatt that a limited Munich pilot with safety drivers, with partners Momenta and Autobrains (listed separately), is about to start. We have not found a confirmed start of public-road testing in Munich.
Waymo announced on 25 Aug 2026 that its vehicles would start driving manually in Munich to map the city, followed by testing with trained specialists behind the wheel. It aims to open commercial ride-hailing to the public towards the end of 2027, subject to approvals. We have not found confirmation that automated testing has begun.
WeRide with Uber and AVOMO (Moove Cars Group)Robotaxi
AnnouncedAnnounced Jun 2026; national test permit 10 Sep 2026
20 (planned)Initial phase of twenty vehicles with an in-car vehicle specialist (WeRide)
WeRide and Uber announced in Jun 2026 a commercial robotaxi pilot in the Madrid region, bookable on the Uber app. On 10 Sep 2026 they said Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) had granted a national permit for Level 4 vehicles, allowing mapping, route validation and readiness testing. Commercial operations are expected by the end of 2026. In early Oct 2026 HuffPost Spain and Cadena SER reported that about 20 vans were mapping Alcobendas, Hortaleza and nearby roads in northern Madrid with a person at the wheel and no passengers. We have not found a confirmed start of automated public-road testing.
WeRide and Uber announced on 17 Jun 2026 plans for a commercial robotaxi service in the Zurich region, bookable on the Uber app, with the Swiss company Rydera managing the fleet. They said the launch was planned for 2026, subject to regulatory approval. On 16 Oct 2026 the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) told the Keystone-SDA news agency that it had not received an application from Uber; watson reported that a start this year is therefore not possible.
Status shows the most advanced stage we could confirm from the sources for each entry. The data is also available as JSON.
UK rules
UK rules timeline
How the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 is coming into force across Great Britain.
Automated Vehicles Act receives Royal Assent
The Automated Vehicles Act 2024 became law, setting out a framework for self-driving vehicles, including a permitting scheme for automated passenger services (APS).
Operators can apply to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for a permit to run a taxi-, private hire- or bus-like passenger service using self-driving vehicles without a safety driver.
The Automated Vehicles (Marketing Restrictions) Regulations 2026 list restricted terms, including “self-driving”, “driverless”, “autonomous” and “drive itself”. Under section 78 of the Act, these may be used to promote or supply road vehicles only in connection with authorised automated vehicles.
Germany’s Autonomous Driving Act came into force on 28 July 2021. It allows autonomous (Level 4) vehicles to run in regular service on public roads within approved operating areas.
The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) publishes a list of the testing approvals it has granted. In July 2026 Momenta said it had received Germany-wide Level 4 testing approval from the KBA.
The KBA list we checked on 19 October 2026 (still dated 18 August 2026) includes a Level 4 testing approval for Momenta Europe GmbH, granted on 8 July 2026 and valid until 31 July 2028, with no local restriction. It also lists a Level 4 testing approval for HOLON GmbH (19 May 2026, no local restriction) and Level 3 testing approvals for Autobrains AI Technologies GmbH (June and July 2026, limited to defined test areas).
Since 1 March 2025, three uses of automated driving have been allowed: a motorway pilot, driverless vehicles on approved routes supervised by an operator, and automated parking in designated car parks.
PostBus’s AmiGo vehicles in eastern Switzerland are testing with safety drivers under a special permit from the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO). In the Furttal near Zurich, the iamo pilot, which FEDRO approved for automated driving in November 2025, has carried paying passengers since 28 September 2026 with a safety person in the driver’s seat. WeRide and Uber plan a robotaxi service in the Zurich region; on 16 October 2026 FEDRO told the Keystone-SDA news agency that it had not received an application from Uber.
EU: type approval for fully automated vehicles (Regulation 2022/1426)
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1426 sets out how the automated driving systems of fully automated vehicles are approved, for uses such as hub-to-hub routes, defined areas and automated valet parking. For now it covers vehicles built in small series.
A companion amendment to the EU type-approval framework caps small-series approvals of fully automated buses and heavy goods vehicles at 1,500 vehicles a year per type.
Driver assistance (supervised, SAE Level 2), not self-driving
On 10 April 2026 the RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, granted type approval for Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) in the Netherlands. The RDW says: “A vehicle with FSD Supervised is not self-driving.” The driver remains responsible and must stay in control.
Use in other EU countries needs a majority vote of member states in the responsible EU committee. electrive reported on 28 September 2026 that the vote is not expected before December.
Manchester now has robotaxi testing. Since 14 October 2026 Uber, Pony.ai and Verne have been testing Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis in Manchester. The Guardian reported that the cars are mapping the city’s streets with a safety driver behind the wheel and no passengers. Transport for Greater Manchester said no applications had been made to operate driverless taxis in Greater Manchester. See the Manchester entry in the table.
We found no confirmed self-driving taxi or shuttle trials in York or Leeds as of 19 October 2026.
Under the UK’s automated passenger services (APS) scheme, a taxi- or private hire-like service needs the consent of each licensing authority (usually the local council) in the area it would serve, and the authority has six weeks to respond. For a bus-like service in an area with franchised buses, the franchising authority must consent. The Department for Transport also says: “We do not expect deployments in the pilot period to be cross-boundary.”
In January 2025 Auto Express reported that Manchester council officials had agreed in principle for the city to be a future rollout site for Verne. No date for passenger rides in Manchester has been announced.
We review the tracker weekly and log every change here, newest first.
Weekly review: three entries added, no status changes
No status changes to existing entries; all 20 existing entries re-verified against their sources on 19 Oct 2026.
Added: Pony.ai and Verne with Uber in Manchester (Testing with safety driver, since 14 Oct 2026). The cars are mapping the city with a safety driver and no passengers, and Transport for Greater Manchester says no applications have been made to run driverless taxis there. The York, Leeds and Manchester section is updated.
Added two entries we had missed: Pony.ai with Bolt and Stellantis in Luxembourg (Testing with safety driver, since Jun 2026) and WeRide with Uber in the Zurich region (Announced, Jun 2026). On 16 Oct 2026 the Federal Roads Office told Keystone-SDA that it had not received an application from Uber.
Zagreb (Verne): added the chief executive’s 13 Oct 2026 statement to AFP that he hopes to open fully driverless rides to the public next year. Status stays at Driverless testing; the public service still has an operator on board.
London (Wayve with Uber): added TfL’s 1 Oct 2026 FOI response saying 14 vehicles have been licensed and one is still to be inspected. Fleet stays at “Up to 15”.
London (Pony.ai with Uber): no confirmed start of testing yet. Oslo (Ruter): project page updated 15 Oct 2026, but still no confirmed restart. Munich (Momenta with Uber): still no confirmed start of testing.
UK driverless passenger permits granted: still 0.
Weekly review: three entries added, no status changes
No status changes to existing entries; all 17 existing entries re-verified against their sources on 12 Oct 2026.
Added: Pony.ai with Uber in London (Announced, 8 Oct 2026). Uber says testing of Pony.ai’s Gen-7 robotaxis will begin in the coming weeks.
Added two entries we had missed: Autobrains with Uber in Munich (Testing with safety driver, since Jun 2026) and HOCHBAHN’s HOLON urban shuttle in Hamburg’s ALIKE project (Testing with safety driver, since autumn 2025).
Cambridge (Connector): the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s route pages now say the Cambridge West route is running and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus route is not. Status stays at Passenger rides with safety driver.
Madrid region (WeRide with Uber): added reports that about 20 vans are mapping northern Madrid with a person at the wheel. Status stays at Announced.
Oslo (Ruter): still no confirmed restart. Munich (Momenta with Uber): still no confirmed start of testing.
UK driverless passenger permits granted: still 0. Added the London Assembly Transport Committee’s 9 Oct 2026 recommendation that TfL should get the power to issue APS permits in London.
Weekly review: six entries added, no status changes
No status changes to existing entries; all 11 existing entries re-verified against their sources on 5 Oct 2026.
Added: iamo in the Furttal, Canton of Zurich (Passenger rides with safety driver, since 28 Sep 2026; 3 cars). The project partners say it is the first time passengers in Switzerland can book self-driving vehicles; a safety person sits in the driver’s seat.
Added: Nissan’s ADventure research project in Cambridge (Announced, 27 Sep 2026).
Added four entries we had missed at launch: Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Connector self-driving buses (Passenger rides with safety driver, since Jun 2025), BVG’s NoWeL4 shuttles in Berlin (Testing with safety driver, since Oct 2025), Waymo in Munich (Announced, Aug 2026) and WeRide with Uber in the Madrid region (Announced, Jun 2026; national test permit 10 Sep 2026).
London (Wayve with Uber): fleet now shown as “Up to 15”, the number of vehicles TfL approved for the trial.
Munich (Momenta with Uber): we checked the KBA list of testing approvals, which includes Momenta’s Level 4 approval, and added Uber’s 5 Oct 2026 statement that a pilot with safety drivers is about to start. Status stays at Announced.
Hamburg (MOIA): added a press report that Volkswagen is reviewing MOIA’s future. Oslo (Ruter): still no confirmed restart.
UK driverless passenger permits granted: still 0.
Baseline: tracker launched
First version of the tracker, with 11 operator–city entries (5 UK, 6 elsewhere in Europe), each checked against the linked sources on 4 Oct 2026.
UK driverless passenger permits granted: 0.
Not yet confirmed: whether Ruter’s Oslo pilot has restarted, whether beti’s Drôme shuttle has run since April 2026, and when Uber’s own Apollo Go testing in London began.
Methodology
How we compile the tracker
Sources. We use official sources first: operator and partner press releases, company blogs, regulators and government publications. We use established news outlets only to fill gaps, and we say so when we do. Each entry links to its sources and shows the date we last checked them.
Statuses. Each entry shows the most advanced stage we could confirm: Announced, Testing with safety driver, Passenger rides with safety driver, Driverless testing or Driverless commercial. Paused and Ended are shown separately. Where a source’s wording and other reports differ, we use the more cautious status and explain why in the notes.
Fleet sizes. We show a fleet size only when the operator, the project or the licensing authority officially states one. Estimates from other sources are left out.
What’s included. Self-driving taxi, ride-pooling and shuttle services carrying, or planned to carry, passengers on public roads in the UK and Europe. Driver assistance systems such as Tesla FSD (Supervised) are not self-driving, so they appear only in the regulation box.
Updates. We review the sources weekly and record changes in What’s changed. If something is wrong or out of date, please tell us.
Independence. We don’t copy data from other trackers, and no company listed has paid for or reviewed its entry.
Help keep it accurate
Send a correction or sighting
Spotted an error, a new announcement or a test vehicle on the road? Tell us and we’ll check it against public sources before changing anything.
Disclosure: YA Transit is a pre-launch, would-be operator and is not affiliated with any company listed. This tracker reports public information neutrally.
Last verified . Information can change quickly; check the linked sources for the latest position.
