Uber and Momenta: German Robotaxis Finally Get Driverless Permission Slower Than Your WiFi
In a grand European parade of technological slow-walking, Uber and Shanghai-based Momenta, funded by everyone from China’s SAIC Motor to Mercedes-Benz and Bosch, plan to start fully driverless (Level 4!) robotaxi tests in Munich in 2026. That’s two years behind Baidu-Lyft’s UK-Germany 2026 combo launch, but hey, better late than never! Munich’s getting robotaxis without safety drivers only after Momenta’s usual practice of stuffing safety monitors behind wheels, like it’s training wheels for AI. Meanwhile, Volkswagen teams with Uber again for 2026 LA robotaxis, proving Germany prefers exporting robotaxis over running them. It’s like a robo-taxi relay race where Europe keeps handing off the baton awkwardly.
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Europe’s robotaxis: slower rollout, more drivers watching The Matrix, and a fancy guest list featuring Uber, Momenta, Baidu, and Volkswagen — all debating who’s got the recliner with the best view for watching humans panic.
Momenta’s robotaxis will officially be driverless in 2026, just in time for us to forget what real drivers looked like. Meanwhile, European cities wait patiently as China and the US race past with robot cabs apparently fueled by impatience and engineer coffee.
Level 4 autonomous vehicles? More like Level 4 slow-walking it through bureaucracies and safety monitors. Europe’s robotaxis are coming on time for 2026 – which feels simultaneously futuristic and like an eternity in taxi years.
Source: Theverge | Published: 9/8/2025 | Author: Andrew J. Hawkins
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