# Uber Cuts 3,300 Jobs as Londoners Start Riding Its AI Taxis for No Extra Cost > Source: > Published: 2026-09-04 07:46:54+00:00 # Uber Cuts 3,300 Jobs as Londoners Start Riding Its AI Taxis for No Extra Cost ## Uber is offering supervised autonomous rides in London while cutting about 3,300 corporate jobs Uber has launched supervised autonomous rides in London, allowing passengers to be matched with all-electric vehicles using artificial intelligence without paying an additional charge. The service uses Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with Wayve's AI Driver. Customers requesting UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Electric can be matched with one of the vehicles, with a trained Transport for London-licensed private-hire driver onboard to monitor the journey. The launch comes as Uber announced plans to [cut about 3,300 corporate jobs globally](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uber-scraps-remote-work-99-its-corporate-staff-whilst-simultaneously-slashing-3300-jobs-1817716), equivalent to around 10 per cent of its corporate workforce. Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said the restructuring would reduce management layers and create more capacity for investment in future technology. ## Londoners Can Choose Autonomous Rides The service is available across London, apart from airports. Passengers are notified through the Uber app if they are matched with a Wayve vehicle and can accept the journey or switch to a conventional Uber before it arrives. More than [140,000 London customers](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinese-livestreamer-loses-followers-beauty-filter-glitch-1796310) had opted in to increase their chances of being matched with an autonomous vehicle before the public launch. The initial fleet is small, with *Reuters* reporting fewer than 20 vehicles available at launch. London is the second European city where Uber offers autonomous rides, following its launch in Zagreb, where Uber partnered with a different provider. The current service remains supervised and is not fully driverless. ## Uber Cuts Corporate Roles as It Restructures Khosrowshahi announced the job cuts to staff as part of a wider management overhaul. Uber said the changes would reduce organisational complexity by cutting management layers and combining some teams. The company has not specified how many positions will be affected at its London offices. The cuts are Uber's largest since 2020, when it eliminated about 6,700 roles during the Covid-19 pandemic. Khosrowshahi said Uber had grown substantially over the past five years, but that expansion had increased organisational complexity. The company said the restructuring would create capacity to invest in future technology, including autonomous vehicles. *The Financial Times* first reported that Uber plans to invest more than $10bn in its [autonomous vehicle business](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tesla-autonomous-cybercab-austin-debut-1814748) as it competes with other companies developing self-driving technology. ## Wayve Technology Comes To London's Roads Wayve, the London-founded artificial intelligence company, developed the autonomous driving system used by Uber. It has been training its technology on London's roads since 2018. Wayve says its AI Driver learns from driving experience and can adapt to different roads, vehicles and weather conditions. The company says the system does not rely on traditional high-definition maps or large numbers of hand-coded rules. The current service still requires a trained private-hire driver to monitor the vehicle and take control when necessary. A BBC test ride illustrated the role of the safety driver. During the journey, the driver took control after a van suddenly opened its doors. Wayve later said the intervention was the driver's decision and that it believed the system could have handled the situation. ## Fully Driverless Rides Need Further Approval Uber cannot yet operate the vehicles without a safety driver. Transport for London and other authorities will need to approve arrangements for fully uncrewed services. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the launch as a step forward for the UK's autonomous vehicle sector and said it would give passengers more choice. London's new Uber service offers a supervised version of autonomous driving, giving passengers a chance to experience the technology while trained drivers remain available to intervene. © Copyright IBTimes 2026. All rights reserved.