December 22, 2025 — Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) is back in the spotlight after a fresh autonomous-vehicle headline reignited a debate that has been shadowing the stock for months: are robotaxis a future profit engine for Uber—or the “existential threat” investors keep discounting into the share price?
On Monday, Uber shares traded higher as markets digested news that Uber and Lyft will work with China’s Baidu to bring Apollo Go robotaxis to London as part of U.K. trials planned for 2026. [1]
Uber stock price today (UBER): what the market is doing on Dec. 22
As of the latest available U.S. session data on Dec. 22, 2025, Uber stock traded around $81.18, up about 2.36% on the day. The session range was roughly $79.79 to $82.25, with an opening price near $80.68.
That move matters because UBER’s recent trading has repeatedly snapped to attention on one theme: autonomy—and whether Uber’s long-term role is the platform that aggregates demand or a company that gets disintermediated when fleets no longer need human drivers.
The headline driving Uber stock today: Baidu robotaxi trials in London
What Uber, Lyft, and Baidu announced
According to Reuters, Uber and Lyft said they are teaming up with Baidu to launch driverless taxi trials in the U.K. in 2026, with Baidu’s Apollo Go RT6 vehicles expected to join the London networks of the ride-hailing platforms. [2]
The report frames the move as a milestone: it would mark the first direct competition between U.S. and Chinese autonomous-vehicle giants in a European capital, following Alphabet-owned Waymo’s recent start of supervised tests in London. [3]
The Associated Press also reported that Uber will take part in a U.K. government pilot program, with testing expected to start in the first half of 2026; Lyft said it intends to start with dozens of vehicles and scale to hundreds, pending regulatory approval. [4]
Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal additionally covered the same development, similarly describing a London pilot beginning in the first half of 2026 using Baidu’s Apollo Go RT6 vehicles. [5]
Why London—and why now?
Reuters points to a key reason the U.K. is attracting these trials: the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, which provides a liability framework by shifting legal responsibility for incidents away from the person in the car and onto the “authorized self-driving entity.” [6]
AP adds that Britain accelerated its pilot program timeline, positioning London as a focal point for autonomous testing as competition intensifies among major players. [7]
What this means for Uber’s autonomy strategy (and why investors care)
Uber is not trying to “out-Waymo Waymo.” Instead, Uber’s approach increasingly looks like an asset-light autonomy play: partner with multiple AV developers, integrate them into the Uber app, and use Uber’s demand network, routing, pricing, and marketplace to keep riders flowing—whether the car has a driver or not.
That positioning shows up clearly in Reuters’ reporting, which notes that while robotaxis could be safer and more cost-efficient, profitability remains uncertain due to the high cost of autonomous fleets. Analysts cited by Reuters have said hybrid networks—mixing robotaxis with human drivers—may be the most viable model for handling demand spikes and pricing realities. [8]
In other words: Uber is trying to be the marketplace that can dispatch the “right unit of supply” at the right time—driver or no driver—rather than becoming a capital-intensive fleet owner.
The bigger picture: robotaxi deployment is accelerating globally
Today’s London headline didn’t land in a vacuum. Reuters published a broader overview on Dec. 22 showing how quickly robotaxi programs are expanding worldwide—often through partnerships between platforms (like Uber) and AV specialists. [9]
A few developments from that Reuters roundup that matter specifically for Uber stock:
- Abu Dhabi: Reuters reports that WeRide and Uber launched Level 4 fully driverless robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi in November, and that riders can book through UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber’s dedicated “Autonomous” option. [10]
- London (2026): Reuters reiterates that Uber/Lyft’s Baidu partnership makes them the latest ride-hailing platforms pairing with AV firms for 2026 trials. [11]
- Waymo’s London plans: Reuters notes Waymo said it will launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in London in 2026, partnering with Moove for fleet operations and infrastructure. [12]
- Tesla’s Austin rollout: Reuters also references Tesla’s limited paid robotaxi rollout in Austin beginning in June, underlining that the competitive set is expanding beyond traditional ride-hail peers. [13]
This matters for UBER because markets aren’t just pricing Uber’s next quarter—they’re pricing Uber’s position in an autonomy-shaped mobility stack.
Uber’s own recent robotaxi launches: Dallas, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi
London is the newest flashpoint, but Uber’s autonomy narrative in December 2025 has been building through a sequence of launches and pilots:
- Dallas (Dec. 3, 2025): Uber announced that Dallas riders can now be matched with an Avride robotaxi—a new way to ride on Uber. [14]
- Dubai (Dec. 12, 2025): Uber and WeRide, alongside Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, announced the official launch of robotaxi passenger rides in Dubai on the Uber app, including an “Autonomous” option in select areas. [15]
- Abu Dhabi (Nov. 26, 2025): Uber and WeRide announced fully driverless Level 4 commercial robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi—described as the first city outside the U.S. to host fully driverless robotaxi operations on the Uber platform. [16]
Taken together, these show why the market reacts so sharply to autonomy headlines: Uber is accumulating real-world operating experience across regions, partners, and regulatory regimes—exactly the kind of pattern investors look for before a technology narrative turns into a durable valuation driver.
Not all the news is about robotaxis: FTC lawsuit risk remains a near-term overhang
While autonomy is the growth narrative, regulatory and legal headlines still move the stock.
Reuters reported that on Dec. 15, 2025, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, joined by 21 states and the District of Columbia, filed an amended complaint alleging Uber engaged in deceptive billing and cancellation practices tied to its Uber One subscription program. Uber denied the allegations and said it does not sign up or charge consumers without consent; Reuters reported the FTC alleged cancellation could require navigating up to 23 screens and as many as 32 actions, while Uber said most cancellations take 20 seconds or less and can be done in the app. [17]
Why it matters for the stock: subscriptions are often valued as “higher-quality” revenue streams. Any sustained scrutiny of how a membership product is marketed, billed, or canceled can weigh on sentiment—even if the company ultimately prevails.
Analyst forecasts for Uber stock: price targets stay bullish, but autonomy is the swing factor
Wall Street’s baseline stance on UBER remains constructive, but it’s increasingly split on how to value Uber through the robotaxi transition.
The “cheap vs. threatened” valuation debate
A widely circulated MarketWatch analysis (published via Dow Jones) said Uber shares were trading at historically low valuation levels around $80, and cited Bernstein analysts setting a $115 price target—implying meaningful upside—while arguing investors may be overly discounting autonomous-vehicle risk. [18]
That same analysis also emphasized the core uncertainty: if the AV market consolidates around a small number of dominant fleets, Uber’s partnership-heavy strategy could be less powerful than in a fragmented ecosystem where many AV operators need Uber’s demand. [19]
What “consensus” targets look like
Third-party aggregators continue to show upside skew in analyst targets, though the exact averages vary by source and analyst set:
- StockAnalysis lists Uber’s market cap around $168B as of Dec. 22, 2025—useful context for how much future growth is already priced in. [20]
- TipRanks lists an average price target above the current trading level (with targets clustered well into the $100s in its dataset). [21]
Separately, Investopedia reported that Jefferies included Uber among its top internet stock picks for 2026, citing potential upside driven by expansion and robotaxi-related opportunities (among other factors). [22]
Bottom line: The Street’s long-term forecasts generally assume Uber keeps compounding cash flow from its core Mobility and Delivery businesses while autonomy becomes either (a) incremental upside or (b) a margin headwind depending on how costs, regulation, and competitive dynamics play out.
The London robotaxi deal: what could go right (and what could go wrong)
What could go right for UBER shareholders
- Uber stays the “default” demand layer. If riders keep opening Uber first—and Uber can route trips to the lowest-cost supply (human or AV)—the company can protect take rate and improve unit economics over time.
- Hybrid networks smooth the transition. Reuters notes analysts see hybrid networks as a likely practical model. That favors Uber, because Uber already operates a two-sided marketplace at scale. [23]
- Regulatory clarity improves investability. The U.K.’s framework (Automated Vehicles Act 2024) is explicitly cited by Reuters as a reason London is emerging as a robotaxi sandbox. [24]
What could go wrong
- Fleet economics stay brutal. Reuters cautions profitability remains uncertain and notes analysts warn fleet costs could pressure margins for platforms. [25]
- The market consolidates around a few winners. If Tesla/Waymo (or another major operator) dominate supply, Uber could lose negotiating leverage—or even rider mindshare—depending on exclusivity and distribution. [26]
- Geopolitical and data-security concerns escalate. The Guardian highlighted national security worries tied to deploying Chinese robotaxis in London, including concerns about infrastructure dependence and potential data exploitation. [27]
What to watch next for Uber stock (UBER) after Dec. 22
If you’re tracking UBER into 2026, today’s story sets up several concrete milestones:
- Regulatory approvals and pilot design in London (route geofencing, safety operator rules, remote assistance, and data governance). [28]
- Timing and scale: Reuters and AP both frame 2026 as the start window, but the pace of scaling—from limited pilots to meaningful trip volume—will drive investor confidence. [29]
- How Uber monetizes AV supply: Will Uber charge a similar take rate? Will AV partners demand better economics? Will pricing pressure pass through to riders? Reuters flags margin pressure risk from fleet costs. [30]
- Legal/regulatory overhangs in the U.S.: Updates in the FTC case could influence sentiment around Uber One and the broader regulatory environment for Uber’s consumer practices. [31]
The takeaway: Uber stock is trading like autonomy is both a catalyst and a risk
Uber’s rally on Dec. 22 isn’t just about one city or one partner—it’s about positioning.
- The bull case is that Uber becomes the essential interface for urban mobility, dispatching whatever supply is cheapest and safest, and using autonomy to expand margins over time.
- The bear case is that autonomy shifts power to fleet owners, compressing Uber’s economics—or pushing riders into competing, vertically integrated ecosystems.
Today’s Baidu-London announcement pushed the narrative toward the bull case—at least for one session. But as Reuters emphasizes, the economics are still being written, and the path forward likely runs through hybrid networks long before a fully driverless world becomes mainstream. [32]
References
1. www.reuters.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. www.reuters.com, 4. apnews.com, 5. www.bloomberg.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. apnews.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. www.reuters.com, 14. investor.uber.com, 15. investor.uber.com, 16. investor.uber.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.marketwatch.com, 19. www.marketwatch.com, 20. stockanalysis.com, 21. www.tipranks.com, 22. www.investopedia.com, 23. www.reuters.com, 24. www.reuters.com, 25. www.reuters.com, 26. www.marketwatch.com, 27. www.theguardian.com, 28. apnews.com, 29. www.reuters.com, 30. www.reuters.com, 31. www.reuters.com, 32. www.reuters.com
