Spain Gives Green Light to Uber's Autonomous Passenger Service
Uber's stock price rose 0.53% to $71.48 in pre-market trading after Spain approved its first Level 4 vehicle permit, allowing commercial autonomous passenger services to launch in Madrid.
The permit was granted by the Directorate General of Traffic under Spain's DGT ES-AV framework and covers WeRide, Uber, and AVOMO. The three companies will start mapping, route validation, and operational readiness testing across high-demand areas in Greater Madrid, with plans to deploy 20 vehicles using WeRide's latest autonomous driving technology.
Madrid becomes the first European market for Uber and WeRide's planned autonomous service, which is expected to launch before the end of 2026. The partnership targets 15 cities worldwide, with another 11 locations planned through 2030, and aims to deploy tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles on public roads.