Uber, Nuro, and Lucid announced plans to bring their robotaxi service to Houston in mid-2027. Houston is the second planned deployment market for the companies’ robotaxi program, following the San Francisco Bay Area launch expected later this year. The service is expected to launch exclusively through the Uber network, with plans to expand to dozens of additional markets over the coming years.
Nuro is already conducting autonomous on-road testing with safety operators in Houston. The company is leading autonomous driving development and validation for the program through simulation, closed-course testing, and supervised public-road testing.
The robotaxi engineering fleet supporting the work includes nearly 100 vehicles across California and Texas, with operations running 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The fleet is expected to expand in the coming weeks as Lucid manufactures the first production validation robotaxis at its Arizona factory for safety testing and homologation.
Uber has also secured a 50,000-square-foot depot facility and a dedicated charging pitstop in Houston. These facilities will support future autonomous fleet operations, including charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning, and day-to-day fleet management.
The program will use Lucid Gravity robotaxis powered by Nuro’s autonomous technology. The vehicles will be owned and operated by Uber and its fleet partners and made available to riders exclusively through the Uber network.
The companies said Houston is a compelling market for autonomous mobility because it is the fourth-largest city in the U.S. and offers scale, trip diversity, and a clear regulatory framework.
Houston is also a familiar market for Nuro, which has maintained a presence in the city since 2019 and has conducted Level 4 autonomous operations on public roads there. Nuro said its local experience and relationships with communities, first responders, and policymakers continue to inform its work.
The broader robotaxi program was announced in July 2025 and brings together Lucid’s electric vehicles and factory integration, Nuro’s Level 4 universal autonomy platform and validation expertise, and Uber’s ride-hailing platform, rider network, fleet operations, and infrastructure capabilities.
The program calls for at least 35,000 vehicles globally across dozens of markets over the coming years.
The robotaxi service will use the Lucid Gravity and future Lucid midsize vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver, Nuro’s Level 4 universal autonomy platform. The vehicles will include a redundant sensor suite with cameras, lidar, radar, and a roof-mounted halo.
Uber is designing the broader in-cabin experience, including personalization, support, and rider controls. Nuro will provide autonomy visualization.
KEY QUOTES:
“Houston marks an important next step in our partnership with Lucid and Nuro as we expand autonomous mobility to more riders throughout the world. Together, we’re combining best-in-class vehicle and autonomy technology with Uber’s scale, fleet operations expertise, and infrastructure capabilities to build a service that can grow across dozens of markets in the years ahead.”
Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber
“Houston is a city Nuro knows well, and we’re excited to help bring this robotaxi service to the city through our partnership with Uber and Lucid. Houston’s large, complex metro area is an ideal market for demonstrating how Nuro’s universal autonomy platform can generalize across different geographies and operating environments. We look forward to continued engagement with the community as we prepare to launch service in 2027.”
Andrew Chapin, Chief Operating Officer at Nuro
“Our partnership with Uber and Nuro continues to accelerate at a remarkable pace, and the launch of our program in Houston next year will be another major milestone. Our rapid progress toward commercial launch showcases how Lucid’s technology and engineering are ideally suited to power the future of autonomous mobility and we look forward to working with our partners to bring that premium experience to even more riders next year.”
Kay Stepper, Vice President of ADAS and Autonomy at Lucid
