Uber is launching driverless cars in London next year
Uber has announced that it has joined forces with AI firm Wayve to bring self-drive taxis (aka 'robotaxis') to London's roads next year. The big reveal has come after the UK government said that trials of fully driverless vehicles would be brought forward to spring 2026.
Hang on, though – haven't trials been going on in the UK for years? Well, yes, for more than a decade actually. But those tests have all involved having a human safety driver on board, ready to take over the controls if necessary. Under the new government legislation, these new vehicles will be the first in Europe to operate without human backup.
For now, the vehicles are just part of a trial and it's not clear whether they'll be available for customers to use – the company says that it's still ironing out the details. A larger rollout is expected in late 2027.
The department for transport reckons that the vehicles will help reduce deaths and injuries on British roads, as they have faster reaction times than humans and have been trained on a large number of driving scenarios. It also says that they could create 38,000 jobs and add £42bn to the UK economy by 2035.
Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: 'The future of transport is arriving. Self-driving cars could bring jobs, investment, and the opportunity for the UK to be among the world leaders in new technology.'
The government's Automated Vehicles Act will require self-driving cars to be approved after tests to demonstrate 'a level of safety at least as high as competent and careful human drivers'.
Robotaxis are already up and running in cities across the US, China, UAE and Singapore, and studies are still looking into whether they really are more or less safe than human-driven cars.
Some people are more sus of the whole thing. Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, told the Guardian: 'They are living in fantasy land. We're probably going to have flying taxis before we have autonomous ones in London.
'Most people haven't got a robot hoover or a robot lawnmower even though they are absolutely fantastic. Are people who don't trust a robot to cut their grass or clean their house going to trust one to take their kids to school or drive their elderly mum around?'
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