ROBOTAXIS ARRIVE IN EUROPE — UBER AND WERIDE LAUNCH DRIVERLESS RIDES IN MADRID, FIRST CITY ON THE CONTINENT Uber, WeRide, and Spanish logistics company AVOMO announced this week that they are bringing robotaxis to Madrid, making the Spanish capital the first city in continental Europe to offer a commercial driverless ride hailing service. The service is expected to go live later this year through the Uber app, with an initial fleet that includes trained safety operators before expanding to fully driverless operation across core urban areas. Madrid’s regional government is a formal partner in the deployment. The announcement is the fourth city in an existing global expansion agreement between Uber and WeRide that maps out 15 cities by 2030. WeRide already runs fully driverless commercial operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Madrid follows the same ramp up approach used in those markets. The operational structure divides responsibilities cleanly: WeRide controls the autonomous technology stack, AVOMO handles fleet operations on the ground, and Uber provides the consumer app and demand routing. Europe has lagged behind the United States and the Middle East in permitting autonomous vehicles on public roads. Madrid’s willingness to formally partner with WeRide signals a shift in European regulatory appetite. If the pilot expands successfully, it will put real pressure on other European cities and their transportation regulators to move faster on autonomous vehicle approvals before the window closes. Keywords: WeRide Uber Madrid robotaxi, autonomous vehicles Europe, driverless taxi Spain 2026, WeRide expansion