UK customers will soon ride in the first driverless taxis this summer, as technology firm Wayve and Uber have announced that paying passengers will be able to book a self-driving cab within the next couple of months. The service will initially include a human driver behind the wheel, ready to take control during journeys while the technology is demonstrated to be safe.
Launch Details and Pricing
Uber passengers will be offered self-driving vehicles at the same fare as conventional minicabs, according to The Mirror. Uber has already begun enabling users to express their interest in being among the first to try the new service. Self-driving vehicles will be available on Uber’s X, Comfort, and Electric journey options.
Kaity Fischer, who leads Wayve's self-driving cabs business, confirmed that the project will tie in with the ride app Uber in London. “We’re looking forward to launching in London in the next couple of months. We’re ready to go, and can’t wait to get the public into our vehicles to experience Wayve technology first hand,” she said.
Technology and Safety
Cars equipped with Wayve’s self-driving systems feature six cameras, a radar, and an AI-powered computer in the boot that controls their responses. During a 15-minute demonstration journey from the company’s north London headquarters on Friday, the human supervisor behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV did not need to intervene. The car reacted sensibly to hazards such as pedestrians crossing the road and overtaking vehicles, and when the road was clear, it adhered to the 20mph speed limit.
Expansion Plans
London will be the first city in the world to use Wayve’s technology for commercial journeys. The company plans to expand to more than ten cities globally in partnership with Uber, including Tokyo, Japan, later this year. Wayve is also working with car manufacturers such as Nissan and Stellantis to deploy its systems in private vehicles.
Ms Fischer described London’s roads as the “ultimate testing ground for autonomous technology.” She noted that compared to San Francisco, London has 20 times more roadworks and 10 times more vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. Combined with London’s “2,000-year-old streets,” which are not grid-based and feature potholes and cobblestone paths, this creates an “incredible proving ground.”
Uber's Perspective
Annie Duvnjak, who leads global mobility autonomous operations at Uber, said the service will launch with a “small fleet” of robotaxis in London before “scaling up over time.” When asked how passengers might react, she replied: “What we’ve seen in other markets is it’s really magical. When you first get in, you look around and all of a sudden the car is driving and it feels normal. You forget that you’re in an autonomous vehicle, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Uber already offers self-driving journeys in US cities such as Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia. However, some Uber drivers in London have held small-scale protests against the use of robotaxis. In response to concerns about job losses, Ms Duvnjak stated: “We actually do believe that human drivers and AVs will continue to grow. That’s because we do want to be really reliable. There’ll be multiple routes or weather conditions where it might not make sense for an AV to take a ride, and we are constantly seeing demand grow in cities, which means more drivers and more AVs over time.”
Government and Union Reactions
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the technology has “the potential to transform how people travel” by “reducing road danger while driving growth and creating high-skilled jobs across the UK.” She added: “Wayve is a British success story and this partnership with Uber is a welcome vote of confidence in their technology.”
US firm Waymo has also selected London as the first European city for its robocabs, beginning testing on the capital’s streets late last year with a human safety driver. The company hopes to gain permission from Transport for London to start autonomous rides this year.
However, the GMB union is calling for laws to protect taxi and private hire drivers from job losses and reduced earnings due to driverless vehicles. Ali Haydor, Private Hire Driver and GMB Congress Delegate, told the Congress in Blackpool: “We hear a lot from those on the right of politics about people not working and relying on benefits, but replacing human workers will potentially push thousands into unemployment and poverty. The gig economy firms present driverless taxis as progress – they tell us this technology will increase efficiency, reduce costs and benefit society, but progress for whom? Technology will continue to develop, but workers should not be expected to carry all the risks while companies take all the rewards.”
