Uber and WeRide to launch robotaxis in Zurich

Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide and ride-hailing giant Uber are to launch robotaxi services in Greater Zurich this year.

The announcement comes two weeks after the partners unveiled plans to launch in Madrid, making Zurich their second confirmed European deployment and the latest step in a broader agreement to roll out autonomous ride-hailing services across 15 cities worldwide.

Passengers will be able to book WeRide’s robotaxis through the Uber app though a specific launch date has not been disclosed.

Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber, called Switzerland a “key market” for autonomous mobility which combines “forward-thinking regulation with a demand for high-quality ride-hailing solutions”.

The nation has already proven an appealing launchpad for autonomous vehicles. Zurich Airport became one of the first in Europe to launch an autonomous bus shuttle service which was also developed by WeRide.

Last November, WeRide secured a driverless permit from Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) which enables its robotaxi to operate on public roads in Zurich’s Furttal region.

Meanwhile in eastern Switzerland, public transport operator PostBus recently partnered with Chinese technology giant Baidu to roll out an autonomous mobility service in the nation’s rural regions.

Fleet operations for the WeRide-Uber robotaxi service in Zurich will be managed by local logistics company Rydera. The partners plan to scale the fleet as regulatory approvals are secured and operational milestones are met including the transition to fully driverless commercial services in core urban areas.

Zurich becomes the fifth city publicly confirmed under the WeRide-Uber partnership which aims to deploy tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles globally by 2030. Beyond Europe, the alliance has focused heavily on the Middle East where services have already launched in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh.

“Europe is a priority region for WeRide and announcing two European markets in two weeks reflects the speed and efficiency of our expansion strategy,” said Jennifer Li, CFO and Head of International at WeRide.

“Zurich’s status as a global business centre and premium mobility market makes it an attractive city for robotaxi commercialisation as we scale autonomous mobility with Uber worldwide.”