Wayve, Uber, and Nissan signed a memorandum of understanding to develop robotaxis. They will prepare a Tokyo pilot for late 2026 using Nissan LEAF vehicles fitted with the Wayve AI Driver and bookable via the Uber app.
Wayve, founded in 2017, will provide the end-to-end AI stack, Nissan supplies vehicles, and Uber integrates the service into its ride-hailing network.
Initial runs will include a trained safety operator in each car, and deployment timing depends on discussions with authorities and a licensed taxi partner in Japan.
Uber said this is its first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan and part of a planned rollout across more than ten cities, including London.
Wayve said the AI Driver learns from real-world data and can generalize across roads without high-definition maps, supporting faster expansion into new cities.
The partners showed a robotaxi prototype based on the Nissan LEAF and are selecting local partners to support pilot operations.
Originally written by: Minh Le
Source: Tech In Asia
Published on: 12 March 2026
Link to original article: Uber teams up with Nissan, Wayve to launch robotaxi in Japan
