Uber announces autonomous taxi partnership with Wayve and Nissan in Japan

Investing.com - Uber (NYSE:UBER) announced on Wednesday plans to launch autonomous taxi services in Japan by the end of 2026 through new partnerships with UK autonomous driving company Wayve and Japanese automaker Nissan.

In a press release, the companies stated that Wayve will serve as the AI partner, while Nissan will handle vehicle manufacturing aspects of the partnership.

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Their goal is to conduct pilot deployments in Tokyo by the end of 2026, using Nissan LEAF electric vehicles equipped with Wayve autonomous driving technology.

The companies said these vehicles will operate on the Uber network and will be staffed with a safety operator.

Uber stated it will launch the service through licensed taxi partners in Japan and collaborate with local authorities.

This agreement is part of Uber’s collaboration with Wayve to deploy autonomous taxis in ten major cities worldwide.

The ride-hailing company has also signed agreements with several other autonomous taxi companies, including Waymo, Weride, and Apollo Go.

Autonomous taxis have garnered increasing attention over the past year, especially as electric vehicle giant Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) promotes the technology as a major potential growth driver. However, ongoing safety concerns and regulatory scrutiny have limited the global rollout of the technology so far.

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