Autonomous mobility in the US, China, and Europe: a regional comparison

In the United States, the push for autonomous mobility is largely market-driven, led by software-focused companies scaling robotaxi services city by city. Real-world deployment, rapid iteration, and commercial viability are the hallmarks of this approach. The result is that what is a far-off prospect for most European commuters is already a reality in several large cities where robotaxis are already part of everyday urban mobility. 

This is exemplified by Waymo, which said in February 2026 that it was providing more than 400,000 rides a week across six major metropolitan areas, up from more than 200,000 paid trips per week in March 2025. In San Francisco, research cited by Fast Company found that Waymo had already captured 27% of the city’s ride-share market by spring 2025 — clear proof that the technology is scaling not in private garages, but in commercial fleets.

This rapid scaling demonstrates the US model’s strengths: speed, innovation, and the ability to gather vast amounts of real-world data. However, it also highlights challenges, such as navigating fragmented regulations and addressing public concerns about safety and trust.

In China, autonomous mobility is treated as a strategic national priority. Backed by government policy, funding, and urban planning, the deployment of autonomous vehicles is integrated into broader ambitions around smart cities and industrial leadership.

The government employs a "lessons learned" regulatory approach, where policies are iteratively adjusted based on real-world challenges, enabling rapid innovation and deployment.

Robotaxi services in cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have moved well beyond trial phases. In many cases, autonomous taxis are more visible than their human-driven counterparts. For example, during the Chinese New Year holiday, Pony.ai’s robotaxis averaged 26 rides per vehicle per day, far exceeding the productivity of human drivers.

This state-driven model allows China to scale autonomous mobility at remarkable speed, supported by partnerships between local tech companies and German automakers, such as Volkswagen's collaboration with Xpeng and Horizon Robotics. Although a recent software update in Wuhan reportedly triggered a widespread robotaxi outage — a warning that scaling at speed carries its own risks.

Europe sits deliberately between those poles: less focused on speed, more on how to embed autonomous systems into existing transport networks. 

“The ambition in Europe is not simply to put driverless cars on the road,” autonomous driving expert Stefan Sellschopp at Allianz Partners explains. “It is to integrate autonomous mobility with public transport in a way that is safe, efficient and socially useful.” 

This approach is also shaped by demographic pressures. Across Europe, there is a growing shortage of public transport drivers. “In high-wage countries, the challenge is not getting rid of drivers, it is that there may simply not be enough drivers in the future to keep services running," he notes.

According to the Federal Association of German Bus Operators (bdo) and the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), there is already a shortage of 20,000 bus drivers in public transport, which will almost triple by 2030. This is because more than half of the drivers are already aged over 50. Across Europe, more than 105,000 bus driver positions were unfilled in 2023 — a figure the International Road Transport Union projects could double by 2028. 

Autonomous shuttles and robotaxis are more than a mobility upgrade — in parts of Europe, they may be the only realistic way to maintain service levels at all.

The contrasting strategies of the US, China, and Europe highlight the diversity of the global race for autonomous mobility:

• The US prioritizes speed and commercial deployment, with private companies leading the charge.
• China leverages state support to scale rapidly and integrate autonomous mobility into national development goals.
• Europe emphasizes regulation, safety, and integration with public transport, reflecting its cautious and collaborative ethos.