Volkswagen of America and Uber have revealed plans to deploy a fleet of autonomous electric vans in Los Angeles by the end of 2026.
The vehicles — retro-styled ID. Buzz vans fitted with self-driving technology — will serve as the backbone of a robotaxi service set to begin commercial operations with human safety operators before transitioning to full autonomy a year later.
Testing begins this year. Approval from California’s Department of Motor Vehicles is the first phase. Once that’s secured, Volkswagen’s autonomous subsidiary, Volkswagen ADMT, will start test drives on public roads in LA.
Regulatory clearance from the California Public Utilities Commission will also be needed to run the ride-hailing service commercially.
The vehicles won’t be fully autonomous at launch. For at least a year, there will be trained operators behind the wheel. “Each step will proceed only after any necessary regulatory approvals have been received,” a company spokesperson confirmed.
Volkswagen is being cautious, calculated, and regulatory-compliant and this isn’t its first attempt at self-driving. After its investment in Argo collapsed alongside Ford’s, Volkswagen pivoted.
It turned to Mobileye, the autonomous tech company now powering the ID. Buzz’s self-driving system. The two companies are now tightly aligned. Volkswagen ADMT kicked off its first autonomous testing programme in Austin last year with a fleet of 10 vehicles.
Uber, meanwhile, has been busy sewing partnerships across the industry. From Waymo in Austin to other AV firms in delivery and freight, the ride-hailing giant is hedging its future on autonomy — but not on exclusivity. This collaboration with VW adds yet another company to its ecosystem of autonomous suppliers.
Volkswagen’s plan goes beyond building the cars, it’s also betting on providing the tech and software infrastructure for robotaxi fleets at scale.
Christian Senger, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility, said: “Volkswagen is not just a car manufacturer — we are shaping the future of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates that vision. What really sets us apart is our ability to combine the best of both worlds—high-volume manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of urban mobility needs.”
The ID. Buzz AD, the star of this new project, is not a new experiment. Volkswagen’s development of the self-driving variant stretches back to 2021. The vehicle features 13 cameras, nine LIDARs, five radars, and redundant systems across critical functions like braking, steering, and power.
Testing originally began in Germany and only recently expanded to the U.S. The aim is to introduce thousands of these vehicles across major American cities within the next ten years.
Volkswagen is being careful. It has made no promises about which cities are next, but it’s clear that LA is only the beginning.
For now, the ID. Buzz remains a rare sight. Only 1,162 units were sold in the U.S. in 2024, and 1,901 more followed in early 2025.
