Volkswagen's MOIA and Uber begin testing self-driving ID. Buzz minibuses in Los Angeles

This article was published on April 8, 2026 Sascha Meyer (CCO, Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility): In short: Volkswagen’s autonomous mobility subsidiary MOIA America and Uber have begun on-road testing in Los Angeles with roughly 10 autonomous ID. Buzz vehicles, the opening phase of a deployment that is scheduled to offer commercial rides with human safety operators by the end of 2026, and fully driverless service in 2027. Los Angeles is the first US city in what the two companies describe as a multi-city rollout over the coming decade. A year after Volkswagen and Uber announced the partnership, the first ID. Buzz AD vehicles are physically on the streets of Los Angeles. MOIA America, the name under which Volkswagen’s autonomous driving unit is operating in the US, says it will eventually deploy more than 100 vehicles in the city for real-world validation before commercial service opens. The test fleet will carry a human safety operator in every vehicle throughout the current phase, a standard precondition as the company works through California’s layered regulatory requirements before it can charge passengers for rides. The ID. Buzz AD is a different proposition from the consumer-fac