- Published 2026.11.06 20:57
Uber's Q3 earnings call confirms Motional's shift to driverless operations
Uber to improve profitability with 700 driverless vehicles by year-end
Motional, Hyundai Motor Group's autonomous driving joint venture, is moving to fully driverless robotaxi service in Las Vegas without safety drivers. As a key partner of global mobility platform Uber, it is expected to accelerate its push to expand market share and improve profitability in the U.S. driverless taxi market.
On Nov. 4, Uber Technologies announced during its third-quarter 2026 earnings call that Motional will soon transition to fully driverless commercial operations in Las Vegas.
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said, "Right after launching autonomous vehicle company Zoox in Las Vegas this month, Motional will also transition to fully driverless operations."
Since March 2026, Motional has operated a pilot Ioniq 5 robotaxi service with Uber in key areas of Las Vegas. Until now, a safety driver has been seated behind the wheel as a precaution.
With this move, Motional will offer Level 4 autonomous driving service under U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), with no driver intervention. Passengers who hail a ride through the Uber app can use the driverless robotaxi at the same price as before, with no additional cost.
Uber posted solid results in the third quarter, driven by robust demand in global mobility and delivery markets. Revenue rose 10% year-on-year to $14.766 billion (about 20.65 trillion won).
Monthly active platform consumers (MAPC) grew 14% to 215 million. Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) came in at $0.88, up 35% from a year earlier, in line with market expectations.
However, in some global markets, driver supply failed to keep up with rising demand, causing mobility segment growth to slightly miss expectations. Uber is focusing on expanding its autonomous vehicle network to overcome this and improve profitability.
Uber plans to secure about 700 driverless vehicles on its platform by the end of this year and expand that to more than 2,000 by the end of 2027.
Khosrowshahi added, "Las Vegas will be the first city in the U.S. where riders can use two fully driverless partners through the Uber app."
※ This article is an AI translation of the Korean original published by Korea Credit News; it was checked by automated quality guards and published by the English edition desk.
