Uber and WeRide plan Madrid self-driving service

By Amanda Griffin 04/06/2026 3 min read 33 views

Uber and Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide are planning to launch a commercial self-driving service in Madrid. The companies describe it as a pilot project, but passengers booking through Uber’s app will actually pay for their rides. The initial fleet size has not been disclosed, and safety drivers will remain on board during the early phase, ready to take control from WeRide’s AI system if needed.

Hundreds of robo-taxis are expected to enter service over time, once specific performance targets are met. That includes expanding fully autonomous operations into central urban areas of Madrid. The vehicles will be WeRide’s GXR model, a van introduced in October 2024. It is based on the SuperVAN platform from Geely’s commercial vehicle brand, Farizon. The GXR carries WeRide’s Sensor Suite 5.6, which includes over 20 sensors such as LiDAR, high-resolution dynamic cameras, and a high-precision RTK inertial navigation system.

Safety drivers will be on board initially. This is common for early-stage autonomous deployments. Uber and WeRide have already been running the GXR in the United Arab Emirates since November 2024. The Madrid pilot is the first European public commercial service for the partnership, though WeRide has operated robo-taxis in other regions before.

The third partner in Madrid is Avomo, a company within the Spanish Moove Cars Group. Avomo already operates Waymo’s robo-taxis in Atlanta and Austin on the Uber platform. Its parent company should not be confused with Moove from Nigeria, which manages fleet operations for Waymo in Miami and Phoenix.

“Launching driverless robotaxis in Madrid, one of Europe’s fastest-growing urban environments, demonstrates our ability to operate safely in complex real-world conditions,” said Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide. He noted that Spain is WeRide’s fifth European market entry and that the company sees itself as a trusted operator across the continent. “Together with Uber, we’re combining our autonomous driving technology with their mobility platform to accelerate commercialization at scale.”

Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, called Madrid “an important next step” in the partnership. He pointed to a clear regulatory path and strong local partners as reasons the city could become a leading European market for autonomous vehicles. Uber and WeRide have been working together since 2023, and the Madrid launch follows similar pilots in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The collaboration with WeRide is far from exclusive. Uber has partnered with around 30 companies for its robo-taxi offering, adopting an open model where it acts as the ride-hailing intermediary. That is essentially the same approach it uses for human-driven vehicles. Uber aims to build its own autonomous ecosystem rather than rely on a single technology supplier.

On an investor call in February, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said autonomous vehicles “amplify the fundamental strengths of our platform; global scale, deep demand density, sophisticated marketplace technology, and decades of on-the-ground experience.” He described the market as a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity that Uber intends to tap into.

Uber’s recent activity in the space has been intense. Just yesterday, a robo-taxi project in Munich with Autobrains was reported. Other recent announcements include partnerships with Lucid, Nuro, Verne and Pony.ai, Rivian, and Zoox. Since the start of 2025, the company has announced investments and fleet procurement programs in autonomous driving totaling over $10 billion.

The Madrid service is expected to grow gradually. For now, safety drivers will handle interventions. But the companies’ long-term goal is to remove them entirely, pushing toward a fully driverless commercial fleet in the Spanish capital.