Order an Uber, get in, and drive off. Most of us have probably done something like this before. This process is not likely to change much in the future, but our Uber rides could soon look very different from today. With MVV already testing autonomous buses in Munich, the San Francisco-based ride-hailing service is set to follow suit soon. The first tests with robotaxis are scheduled to take place in our city in 2026.
Autonomous travel with robotaxis
Photo: Dan Gold/Unsplash
Uber is already testing the first autonomous vehicles in other cities, such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Atlanta, Austin, and Dallas. This year, the European market is set to join in, including London, Madrid, Zurich, and Munich. Uber wants to conduct so-called Level 4 tests in autonomous driving together with its Chinese partner Momenta.
This means that the robotaxis will conduct their test drives within a predefined and limited area. During the test phase , there will also always be a driver in the car who can intervene if necessary. Before the launch, there are a number of regulatory requirements and approvals that must be fulfilled and granted in advance. According to Momenta, these are already underway; there is no specific launch date yet.
Munich as an automotive location
Photo: Thought Catalog/Unsplash
According to Uber, Munich is the ideal location for the tests because it has a long tradition of engineering and is open to technological innovation. The city also has a first-class automotive ecosystem, not least thanks to the manufacturer BMW, which is based here. The Chinese technology company Momenta is already a partner of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Both use its driver assistance systems.
Momenta already has several robotaxis in operation in China and is one of 20 partners with whom Uber is collaborating to bring autonomous driving to the streets. It remains to be seen who will work with Uber on the test in other European cities. But the competition is not sleeping: ride-hailing provider Lyft wants to offer robotaxis this year in collaboration with Baidu subsidiary Apollo Go. Croatian manufacturer Rimac is also planning a robotaxi service for 2026. It will be exciting to see whether driverless vehicles will soon be rolling through the streets of Munich, taking us to our favorite café or to the gym.