Los Angeles to get first ride in Uber’s self-driving Volkswagen

Uber and Volkswagen are launching a robotaxi service in Los Angeles.

The service is set to launch next year, and Uber will only be using ID. Buzz vans – at least for now.

The idea is to expand and make the service available in other cities as well but, for the time being, LA is the only place you’ll be able to Uber from A to B with no driver.

But there’s a very logical reason for this.

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Self-driving Uber is ready to debut in 2026

Uber spent the last few years going back and forth when it comes to self-driving cars.

The company that pioneered ride-hailing apps as we know them originally teamed up with GM, but that really didn’t go anywhere, then they also flirted with Tesla, but to no avail.

In the end, the San Francisco-based start-up turned public company partnered up with Volkswagen.

Testing begins in late 2025, with commercial service expected in early 2026.

Why Volkswagen and Uber picked Los Angeles

California has a tried-and-tested process to streamline legislation for self-driving cars.

Waymo, Google’s robotaxi service, is now available in other states as well, but it all began in California, namely in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Even Tesla picked Los Angeles to apply for robotaxi permits, even though Musk’s company has a complicated relationship with the state and recently relocated to Texas, where it’s expected to begin testing unsupervised FSD later this year.

Speaking of Texas, the lone-star state is playing catch-up when it comes to autonomous driving legislation, and it’s making good progress, along with Michigan and Arizona.

But, when it comes to AV (autonomous vehicles) legislation, California is still miles ahead.

As of April 2025, over 60 companies hold AV testing permits in California.