Zurich to Launch Switzerland’s First Self-Driving Taxi Service

Zurich is set to become the first region in Switzerland to introduce on-demand self-driving taxis, marking a significant milestone in the country’s transportation and technology sectors.

Ride-hailing giant Uber and Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide have announced plans to launch a commercial driverless taxi service later this year, subject to approval from Swiss federal authorities. The service will allow passengers to book rides directly through the Uber app.

The announcement follows similar deployments in other European cities and positions Zurich among the leading locations testing next-generation autonomous transport solutions.

Under the proposed model, Uber will manage the commercial operations while the vehicle fleet will be supervised by Zurich-based mobility provider Rydera. During the initial phase, vehicles will operate with a trained safety operator on board to monitor operations and ensure passenger safety.

The companies have stated that the long-term goal is to gradually expand the fleet and transition towards fully autonomous services without onboard operators once regulatory and safety requirements are met.