SAN FRANCISCO — Self-driving Volkswagen vans could soon be offering robotaxi rides in the United States.

The German automaker announced Thursday that it is partnering with the popular ride-hailing company Uber to deploy its autonomous ID. Buzz in several U.S. markets starting in Los Angeles next year.

What You Need To Know

  • Volkswagen announced Thursday that it is partnering with the popular ride-hailing company Uber to deploy its autonomous ID. Buzz in several U.S. markets

  •  Testing will begin in Los Angeles later this year and launch commercially in 2026

  • VW said Uber will roll out its autonomous vans to multiple U.S. markets in the coming decade

  • The announcement comes the same day U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a new Automated Vehicle Framework to enable the commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles

“Volkswagen believes that mobility is transformational," Volkswagen Group of America President Kjell Gruner said in a statement. "Our partnership with Uber is the next step for us to realize this vision and unleash the potential of autonomous mobility."

The service will use the all-electric ID. Buzz that Volkswagen began selling in the U.S. last November. After testing the autonomous version of the van later this year in LA with human safety drivers to fine-tune the technology, Uber will add multiples of the vehicle to its fleet for an official launch next year.

VW said Uber will roll out its autonomous vans to multiple U.S. markets in the coming decade.

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the advancement of autonomous mobility and highlights both Volkswagen’s and Uber’s shared dedication to building the future of transportation,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

The announcement comes one day after Tesla announced it had started testing its Cybercab robotaxi in San Francisco with a group of employees, and the same day U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a new Automated Vehicle Framework. 

The stated goal of the framework is to prioritize the safety of autonomous vehicle operations on public roads, unleash innovation by removing regulatory barriers and enable the commercial deployment of AVs.

Duffy said he is working to accelerate the modernization of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The standards currently require AVs to meet existing safety standards for conventional vehicles and do not include exceptions for AVs that may forgo steering wheels, accelerators or brake pedals.

Federal legislation to regulate self-driving cars has been stalled since 2017, when the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution, or SELF DRIVE, Act to support the safe development and deployment of AVs only for the bill to die in the Senate.

Self-driving vehicles are currently governed by a patchwork of laws in the dozens of states that allow them to be tested or deployed on public roads. 

On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expanded a program that allows AV testing on U.S. roads to include American-built vehicles. 

At present, only a small handful of companies offer self-driving taxi rides in the United States. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo operates its Waymo One service in Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, Zoox, announced last month that it is testing its robotaxis in Los Angeles, adding to a test fleet already operating in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, Austin and Miami.