Zurich is set to become the latest European city with a commercial robotaxi service, US ride-hailing platform Uber and Chinese technology company WeRide have announced.
The two plan to launch a commercial robotaxi service bookable in the Uber app in Zurich by the end of 2026, subject to regulatory approval, the companies said on Wednesday.
After a steady expansion of robotaxi services in major US and Chinese cities, mobility platforms now have their sights set on Europe, and have announced plans to bring self-driving cars for hire to Zagreb, London, Munich and Madrid.
Uber and WeRide had earlier announced the launch of a robotaxi service in Madrid. "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, finance executive at WeRide.
At the start of June, Uber also said it had teamed up with Israeli artificial intelligence firm Autobrains to launch a fleet of robotaxis in Munich. Both Google sister company Waymo and the UK's own Wayve have announced plans to roll out robotaxis in London in the near future.
In April, driverless taxis also took to the roads of Zagreb in what Croatian mobility company Verne said was the first time a commercial driverless taxi service had been made available to the public anywhere in Europe.
