Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Get ready for a new robot taxi to hit the road. The self-driving division of Uber and Volkswagen have begun verification tests on the streets of Los Angeles for their ID Buzz car, the companies said on Wednesday. It’s a crucial step in their plan to open up to riders in the coming months.
The autonomous minibuses will first navigate the streets of Los Angeles with human operators on board to supervise. The two companies plan to launch their robotaxi service on the Uber app later this year and expand to more cities over the next decade.
MOIA America, the name of the Volkswagen Group company that develops autonomous vehicle technology, plans to expand its autonomous fleet to more than 100 ID Buzz vehicles during the testing period. MOIA America and Uber have a joint facility in Los Angeles for “day-to-day fleet operations,” the companies said in a statement. Ultimately, they plan to build a fleet of “thousands of ID Buzz self-driving vehicles, supporting a common goal of delivering driverless ride-hailing services together in multiple U.S. markets.”
See also: You got a front-row seat to the future of autonomous vehicles at CES 2026
Uber and Volkswagen Group They announced their partnership In April 2025. Uber teamed up with More than twenty AV companiesincluded Waymo, only, Afried and May navigation. Ride-hailing competitor Lyft is also teaming up with Waymo and May Mobility, as well as a few other AV companies like Tensioner and Navigation Bentler. Riders in certain cities can — or will soon be able — to summon self-driving rides directly from the Uber and Lyft apps, which they likely already have on their phones.
“Los Angeles is a natural market to introduce MOIA’s self-driving vehicles for ride experiences, given its long history of shaping automotive culture and adopting new mobility technologies,” Paul DeLong, head of marketing at MOIA America, said in a statement. “Together with Uber, we are bringing MOIA’s self-driving vehicles and expertise to a platform that millions of riders already use and trust.”
Watch this: Learn about Uber’s “Luxurious Robotaxi” collaboration with Lucid and Nuro
In May, Uber and Volkswagen Group said they would also launch the service Shared independent tripsso you can ride a robotaxi with strangers to save some money. It’s a nod to the days when Uber Pool was a popular option for the cheapest ride around town — before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shut down that option.
Shared rides are once again available on the Uber app, although their heyday has passed – making them shared Independent It makes an interesting proposition. The move could help allay concerns about self-driving cars increasing traffic congestion as they roam the streets without passengers. It could also help Uber and Volkswagen get as much money as possible from each trip, even if individual passengers pay less.