Under the partnership, Nissan Leaf electric vehicles equipped with Wayve’s self-driving technology will be made available to customers through Uber, marking Uber’s first autonomous vehicle initiative in Japan. The companies said the service will initially operate on Uber’s platform with trained safety drivers present in the vehicles, while the ride-hailing firm works with a licensed taxi partner for local deployment.
“We have been testing our technology throughout Japan since early 2025,” Wayve CEO Alex Kendall said. “Partnering with Uber and Nissan to begin pilot deployment of robotaxis allows us to introduce this technology in a responsible way.”
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| Nissan Motor's CEO Ivan Espinosa shakes hands with Sarfraz Maredia, global head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber, while Wayve CEO and Co-founder Alex Kendall looks on, during their joint press conference to announce possible cooperation and collaboration on self-driving taxis in Tokyo, Japan March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato Purchase Licensing Rights |
Wayve, which counts SoftBank and Nvidia among its investors, first partnered with Uber in August 2024 with plans to launch autonomous ride services in over 10 cities globally, including London later this year. Last September, Nissan began testing a driver-assistance system using Wayve’s technology as a precursor to a broader launch in Japan scheduled for the 2027 fiscal year.
The collaboration highlights a growing push by automakers and mobility platforms to accelerate the deployment of self-driving technology in urban transport, with Tokyo set to become a key testing ground for robotaxi operations in Asia.