Paying passengers will be able to book a driverless Uber taxi powered by Wayve in London this summer, marking the first time robotaxis will carry paying customers on UK roads. Kaity Fischer, who leads Wayve's self-driving cabs business, declared the company was 'ready to go' as part of a partnership with ride-hailing app Uber in the capital.
Safety Measures and Initial Rollout
A human driver will initially sit behind the wheel, ready to take control during journeys while the technology is demonstrated to be safe. Uber passengers will be offered self-driving vehicles at the same fare as conventional minicabs. The company has already begun enabling users to express their desire to be among the first to try the new service. Self-driving vehicles will be available on Uber's X, Comfort, and Electric journey options.
Ms Fischer stated: '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.'
Technology and Performance
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, 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
Wayve was founded in 2017 by two University of Cambridge PhD students. London will be the first city globally to use its technology for commercial journeys. The company plans to expand to more than 10 cities worldwide in partnership with Uber, including Tokyo, Japan, later this year. Wayve is also collaborating 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.' Compared to San Francisco, a common location for robotaxi rollouts, 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 feature potholes and cobblestone paths rather than a grid layout, this creates an 'incredible proving ground,' she added.
Uber's Perspective and Public Reception
Annie Duvnjak, who leads global mobility autonomous operations at Uber, said the company will launch with a 'small fleet' of robotaxis in London before 'scaling up over time.' When asked about passenger reactions, 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 (AV), and that's the beauty of it.'
Uber already offers self-driving journeys in US cities such as Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia. 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. It began testing on the capital's streets late last year with a human safety driver, aiming to win government approval for its services. The company hopes to gain permission from Transport for London to start autonomous rides this year.
The GMB union is urging the government to introduce laws protecting taxi and private hire drivers from job losses and earnings reductions caused by the rollout of driverless vehicles. Ali Haydor, a Private Hire Driver and GMB Congress Delegate, told the union's 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.'
