Uber Invests $100M in WeRide to Expand Robotaxi Services to 15 More Cities

Uber and WeRide, a Chinese firm specializing in autonomous vehicle technology, are set to expand their commercial robotaxi partnership by introducing the service in an additional 15 cities over the next five years. This initiative follows their successful launch of the robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi five months ago.

As part of this expansion effort, Uber is planning to increase its investment in WeRide by $100 million, as indicated in a regulatory filing made on Wednesday. WeRide expects to receive this funding by the latter half of 2025.

The expansion will include cities across Europe. Through this collaboration, users will be able to access WeRide’s robotaxi services via the Uber app. This arrangement mirrors Uber’s partnership with Waymo, where Uber handles network routing and fleet operations, while the autonomous vehicle firm manages the AV technology.

Currently, Uber and WeRide, which went public on Nasdaq in late October, are operating in Abu Dhabi and have announced plans to extend their services to Dubai. In Abu Dhabi, they are collaborating with local Tawasul Transport for fleet operations.

The additional cities included in this expansion will primarily be located outside of China and the United States.

In the past two years, Uber has formed over 15 partnerships with various autonomous vehicle technology companies across sectors like ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking. Recently, Uber has revealed collaborations with May Mobility from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Volkswagen, and the Chinese self-driving company Momenta.

One of their most significant U.S. partnerships, which is currently operational, is with Waymo. They provide a Waymo-on-Uber service in Austin and are gearing up to replicate this in Atlanta.

This article was originally published on May 5 and has been updated to reflect Uber’s investment commitment to WeRide.