Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide are planning to expand their commercial robotaxi partnership to 15 additional cities over the next five years. This expansion comes just five months after the two companies launched their first commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. As part of this new agreement, Uber will increase its investment in WeRide by $100 million, as stated in a regulatory filing made on Wednesday. WeRide expects to receive this funding by the second half of 2025.
The expanded partnership will include cities in Europe and will focus on locations outside of China and the United States. The robotaxi service will continue to be available through the Uber app, with WeRide handling the autonomous vehicle technology and Uber managing network routing and fleet operations. This collaboration is similar to Uber’s existing partnership with Waymo.
Currently, Uber and WeRide operate together in Abu Dhabi and have announced plans to expand to Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, they work in conjunction with local company Tawasul Transport to manage fleet operations. Uber has been actively forming partnerships with various autonomous vehicle technology companies over the past two years, with over 15 deals across ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking services.
Some of Uber’s recent partnerships include deals with May Mobility, Volkswagen, and Chinese self-driving firm Momenta. Their most notable partnership in the U.S. is with Waymo, which is currently operating commercially. The Waymo on Uber service is available in Austin and is set to launch in Atlanta soon.
