VW subsidiary Moia and Uber are testing autonomous ID. Buzz in Los Angeles

VW subsidiary Moia is planning to conduct the first test drives with specially developed autonomous minibuses based on the VW ID. Buzz in Los Angeles traffic together with Uber. The test marks “the next phase of the strategic partnership entered into last year,” the companies announced.

Moia explains in the joint announcement that it will increase its autonomous vehicle fleet to over 100 autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles during the test phase. On board the vehicles, similar to Tesla's robotaxis, there will be a safety driver. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo's autonomous vehicles, meanwhile, chauffeur customers completely driverless through LA. Starting at the end of 2026, Uber customers will be able to book their first rides on the platform, the company said.

“This next step by Moia America and Uber shows how much momentum is behind the strategy of bringing autonomous mobility into real-world operation,” said Sascha Meyer, Chief Commercial Officer Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility and Managing Director Moia GmbH. “By combining the Moia turnkey solution with Uber's global network, Moia America is creating a scalable path towards driverless ride-hailing services, initially in Los Angeles and in the coming years in other cities.”

Autonomous driving services worldwide

The 100 vehicles during the test phase are not the end of the road: Moia America and Uber plan to build a fleet of several thousand autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles to offer driverless ride-hailing services in several US markets. In the long term, the two plan to offer autonomous driving services worldwide.

Moia is also not just Moia: At the beginning of 2026, the VW company “Volkswagen ADMT” was renamed Moia America. The new name of the US subsidiary is intended to build on Moia's presence in Europe. In Europe, Moia plans to drive autonomous driving services in cities such as Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, and Oslo. In Oslo, Moia is working with the transport company Ruter and Holo, a company specializing in the operation of autonomous vehicles. Moia plans to obtain type approval for the ID. Buzz AD in the European Union by 2027.

Moia not the only Uber partner

To advance autonomous driving, Uber is not relying on just one partner: in addition to VW subsidiary Moia, the company recently announced a cooperation with Tesla rival Rivian. Uber wants to bring up to 50,000 fully autonomous robotaxis to market together with Rivian in the coming years. As part of the agreement, Uber intends to invest 1.25 billion US dollars in the Tesla rival and Volkswagen partner Rivian by 2031, provided the automaker meets certain autonomous driving specifications. In July 2025, Uber signed a similar contract with Lucid for autonomous vehicles, including an initial investment of 300 million US dollars.

Furthermore, Uber has entered into a partnership with Amazon's robotaxi subsidiary Zoox. The Amazon subsidiary recently celebrated an important milestone with major service expansion in US metropolises. Via Uber, driverless robotaxis from the Amazon company Zoox will soon be available to order in some US cities. The partnership between the two companies is initially set to start in Las Vegas and will be expanded to Los Angeles next year. In addition, driverless vehicles from Google's sister company Waymo can be ordered via the Uber app in Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix.

In Croatia, it will soon be possible to order an autonomous taxi via the Uber app. For this purpose, the mobility platform is working with the Chinese robotaxi company Pony.ai and the Croatian start-up Verne. From the end of 2026, Waymo robotaxis will be available to order in London.

(afl)