Volkswagen's MOIA and Uber have kicked off trials for self-driving ID. Buzz minibuses in Los Angeles.

      In summary: Volkswagen’s autonomous mobility subsidiary, MOIA America, and Uber have initiated on-road testing in Los Angeles with around 10 autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles. This marks the first stage of a rollout planned to start offering commercial rides with human safety operators by the end of 2026 and fully driverless service by 2027. Los Angeles is the first city in the U.S. in what the two companies describe as a multi-city expansion expected over the next decade.

      One year after Volkswagen and Uber disclosed their partnership, the inaugural ID. Buzz AD vehicles have hit the streets of Los Angeles. MOIA America, the name under which Volkswagen's autonomous driving division operates in the U.S., plans to deploy over 100 vehicles in the city for real-world validation prior to launching commercial services. During this testing phase, every vehicle will have a human safety operator as the company navigates California's complex regulatory landscape before launching fare-charging services.

      What the vehicle actually is

      The ID. Buzz AD differs significantly from the consumer version of the ID. Buzz available in Volkswagen showrooms. The autonomous version features a suite of 27 sensors, including 13 cameras, nine LiDAR units, and five radars; all data is processed by a computer using Mobileye Drive software. This partnership, which replaced a previous collaboration with Argo AI after Volkswagen wrote off that investment in 2022, delegates responsibility for the software, hardware components, and digital mapping essential for vehicle decision-making to Mobileye.

      The production vehicle can accommodate up to six passengers and is equipped with powered sliding doors, making it more practical for group ride-hailing, which MOIA has aimed for since its inception. The vehicle was first showcased in a series production format in 2025 and is assembled by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles at the Hanover plant.

      The path to commercial service

      Before MOIA America can collect fares in California, it must acquire two separate regulatory approvals: a commercial deployment permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and a ride-hailing permit from the California Public Utilities Commission. Neither of these approvals is a mere formality. The current testing phase, which includes safety operators in every vehicle, serves both as a technical validation and a demonstration of safe operation that regulators will examine before granting broader permissions.

      The company's disclosed timeline is ambitious. The ongoing testing phase with approximately 10 vehicles will be followed by an increase to over 100 vehicles with safety operators by the time commercial service commences at the end of 2026. A fully driverless service—without any human presence in the vehicle—is planned for 2027. MOIA America intends to scale to over 500 autonomous vehicles in Los Angeles by the third quarter of 2027 and subsequently deploy more than 1,000 vehicles in additional U.S. cities.

      Paul DeLong, president of commercialization at MOIA America, indicated that the choice of Los Angeles was intentional: “Los Angeles is a natural market to introduce MOIA’s autonomous vehicles for ride experiences, given its long-standing history of shaping car culture and embracing new mobility technologies.” He emphasized that the partnership with Uber was a key element of the strategy from the beginning: “Together with Uber, we’re introducing MOIA’s autonomous vehicles and expertise onto a platform millions of riders already use and trust.”

      Sascha Meyer, chief commercial officer for Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility, noted that the LA announcement reflects "strong momentum behind the strategy to bring autonomous mobility into real-world operation." Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s CEO, described this development as “a significant milestone in the advancement of autonomous mobility” and highlighted the shared commitment of both Volkswagen and Uber to shaping the future of transportation.

      Why LA, why now

      Los Angeles is not a blank slate for autonomous vehicle services. Waymo has been providing fully driverless rides in the city since 2024 and has expanded its permitted operation area to cover much of Southern California, completing over 250,000 paid rides weekly across all its U.S. markets. Entering a city where an established service is already operational at significant scale sets a clear performance benchmark for MOIA and Uber to meet before they launch commercially. It also means that riders in the city will have a direct comparison available from the outset.

      MOIA benefits from operational experience that many new entrants to U.S. cities do not possess. The company has operated a ride-pooling service in Hamburg since 2019, transporting over ten million passengers so far and creating a repository of real-world operational data that informs its vehicle design and service model. The autonomous program in Hamburg has been running concurrently as part of the federally supported ALIKE project, implying that the LA vehicles are not the first instance of the ID. Buzz AD platform operating commercially with the public.

      Uber as the platform, not the technology

      The MOIA partnership is one example of a broader strategy by Uber, which has shifted away from developing its own self-driving technology after selling its Advanced Technologies Group to Aurora in 2020.