WeRide and Uber launch Madrid robotaxis

Spain's Dirección General de Tráfico has authorised 44 autonomous vehicles to begin passenger trials in Madrid, clearing the way for a commercial robotaxi service expected to launch in December 2026. The pilot is a joint operation by WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD) and Uber, executed in collaboration with the Madrid regional government.

The service will be bookable through the Uber app. Vehicles will initially operate in controlled areas along pre-defined routes, with a safety operator on board responsible for monitoring the system and intervening if necessary. Full driverless commercial operations are targeted for December, with exact dates still unconfirmed.

The operational layer behind the launch is a Spanish company most coverage has overlooked. AVOMO, a subsidiary of Madrid-based Moove Cars Group, will carry out the transportation service on the ground. AVOMO already manages approximately 400 autonomous vehicles across Austin and Atlanta, with a specialist team of more than 200 people. It is the same operational model Uber uses in the United States, now transplanted to its home market.

"This launch will mark an important milestone in AVOMO's international expansion which further strengthens our position as a global autonomous mobility operator. After nearly two years of close collaboration with Uber in the United States, we are entering this next phase with a long-term vision and a strong commitment to building efficient, scalable operations across new markets." — Manuel Puga, CEO of Moove Cars Group.

WeRide supplies the autonomous driving technology through its WeRide One universal platform. The company has accumulated over 55 million kilometres of driving data across deployments in more than 40 cities in 12 countries, a training dataset that directly accelerates its ability to secure regulatory clearance in new markets. Madrid is WeRide's fifth European market entry and the first joint European deployment with Uber. The two companies announced in May 2025 that they would add 15 new cities globally over five years. Madrid is the first execution of that commitment.

The competitive field in European urban robotaxi services is moving quickly. Waymo plans its first international robotaxi service in London in 2026. Volkswagen-backed MOIA intends to use ID. Buzz EVs across European cities from the same year. Uber is simultaneously running trials with Wayve in London and testing with Momenta in Munich, treating each AV partner as a city-level node in a broader European platform rather than a single exclusive relationship.

WeRide's financial momentum adds context to the Madrid timing. Total revenue grew 144.3% year-over-year to RMB 171 million in Q3 2025, with robotaxi revenue specifically rising 761% year-over-year in the same period. The Madrid launch extends that revenue line into Europe under an asset-light structure: WeRide contributes the technology, AVOMO contributes fleet operations, and Uber contributes the consumer distribution. WeRide's capital exposure stays low while the network expands.

The regulatory position deserves precision. Spain has no dedicated commercial framework for autonomous vehicles at scale. The DGT approval operates under a 2015 test-authorisation instruction. A draft Royal Decree intended to establish a comprehensive legal framework was expected to enter force in 2025 but had no confirmed timeline as of late 2025. The pilot therefore runs under an administratively constrained green light, not a fully open commercial licence. That distinction matters for the December 2026 full-service target.

Dr. Tony Han, founder and CEO of WeRide, described the conditions in Madrid as demonstrating WeRide's ability to operate in complex real-world environments. Sarfraz Maredia, global head of autonomous mobility at Uber, noted that a clear regulatory path and strong local partners made Madrid a natural candidate to become a leading European market for autonomous vehicles. The WeRide, Uber partnership ran fully driverless commercial operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in late 2024, providing the operational proof-of-concept being replicated here.

If Madrid becomes the template for WeRide and Uber's remaining European cities, AVOMO holds the ground-level contract position that no foreign fleet operator currently occupies. A Spanish company has quietly become the infrastructure layer beneath what may develop into Europe's first scaled robotaxi network.