Wayve and Uber began offering self-driving taxi rides in London on Thursday. Riders hail and unlock the cars through the Uber app. Only 15 vehicles are licensed so far. Each still carries a licensed human driver who can take over. Transport for London licensed the modified Ford Mustang cars last month as private hire vehicles. Approval to run without a safety driver sits with a separate agency and is unlikely this year. Wayve chief executive Alex Kendall called the technology still maturing and gave no timeline. Wayve plans to switch to factory-built Nissan Leaf robotaxis and must revalidate safety on them. Uber says nobody can yet run these cars more cheaply than human drivers. The GMB union warned of social and economic disruption for drivers.
What changed
Self-driving cars in London ran only as tests, not for hire.
What it unlocks
Hailing a self-driving car in London through the Uber app.
- 15 vehicles licensed
- 100,000+ private hire vehicles in London
- 100,000 registered for autonomous rides
What you need to act on it
- being in London
- an Uber account
Sources