Uber Begins Self-Driving Tests in Manchester
Uber has begun a trial of self-driving vehicles on the streets of Manchester.
The cars use automated driving technology from Pony and Verne, two firms working with Uber, according to The Guardian. Verne said it had started autonomous vehicle testing in the city. Pony said testing was under way in Manchester and that it plans to bring robotaxis, taxis that drive themselves, to the city.
The Manchester tests focus on mapping streets. A safety driver, a trained human ready to take control, sits behind the wheel and no passengers ride along. The vehicles operate under government licence through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Department for Transport.
As of 14 October 2026, no formal application to carry paying passengers in Manchester had been filed. In London, limited self-driving passenger services started in September 2026. Those cars use technology from Wayve and still have a safety driver in the front seat, running under Transport for London private-hire rules. Testing authority sits nationally. Passenger deployment sits locally.
The London Assembly's transport committee issued a report calling for the government to devolve authority over autonomous taxi services. The GMB and ADCU unions said thousands of driver jobs will be lost to robotaxis and called for help for those affected.
Uber, Pony and Verne recently launched Europe's first autonomous taxi service in Zagreb, Croatia. Rides booked through Uber in Zagreb run on Pony.ai technology and are operated by Verne, according to Uber Investor. Uber and Pony.ai announced in October 2026 they would begin testing Pony.ai's Gen-7 robotaxis in London in the coming weeks, according to TechCrunch.
Uber said it expects to offer robotaxi trips in as many as 15 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, mainly in the US and the Middle East. The plan draws on many suppliers. Uber Technologies and Nvidia said they will deploy a fleet of robotaxis using Nvidia's autonomous driving software, according to Reuters. They plan a rollout in 28 cities starting the year after their March 2026 announcement. In December 2025, Uber and Lyft said they would team up with Baidu to launch driverless taxi trials in the UK the following year, according to Reuters. In April 2026, the Financial Times reported Uber had committed more than $10 billion to buying thousands of autonomous vehicles and taking stakes in their developers, according to Reuters. Uber will invest up to $1.25 billion in electric vehicle maker Rivian as part of a robotaxi deal.
The broader context here is how the UK approves this technology in steps. National agencies allow supervised testing and mapping. Local transport bodies decide when companies can charge for passenger rides. London shows how the second step can work under adapted private-hire rules. Manchester is still in the first step. For operators using different systems in different cities, that means separate local talks on safety assurance, liability, data access and curb use rather than one national clearance.
Looking at what this means for Uber, Manchester fits a pattern of working with several hardware and software suppliers across places. Zagreb provides a live passenger operation in Europe. London has Wayve cars in service and Pony.ai Gen-7 tests coming. Manchester provides mapping mileage. The target of as many as 15 cities by the end of 2026 puts near-term paid service mainly outside the UK, while the Nvidia 28-city plan points to 2027. The open questions for Manchester are procedural: when a passenger application is filed, which licensing authority sets conditions, and what protections unions secure for current drivers.
