‘Leicester Square, please guv’: Self-driving taxis cleared for London streets ‘later this summer’
Uber and Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers – but with a human safety driver in place, for now.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Uber and Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London, allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers, but with a human safety driver in place for now. The companies plan to start trips in the UK later this summer before the full public launch.
Imagine you're in a taxi, but instead of a driver, there's a computer controlling the car. This is called self-driving technology, and it's being tested in London. The computer will help the car navigate through the streets, but a human driver will still be in the car to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Analysis
A $60B Vote of Confidence
The approval of self-driving taxis in London is a significant vote of confidence in the technology, with Uber and Wayve planning to start trips in the UK later this summer. This development is being watched closely as it will be one of the first cities in the world to have American and Chinese tech firms operating on the same roads. The companies have been granted 15 private hire vehicle licences to Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with Wayve's artificial intelligence driving software, as well as surround cameras and radar. A TfL-licensed private hire driver will sit in the driver's seat during trips to intervene if necessary, although the software is expected to control the car. The next step, of operating the taxis without a driver, will require Uber and Wayve to seek approval via a new process, known as an automated passenger services permit, with the government's Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. TfL said it would monitor the use of the vehicles, and was ready to intervene if passenger safety was compromised. Safety is the top priority, and any new vehicle licensed to carry passengers on London's roads must align with the Vision Zero goal of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries from collisions on London's streets by 2041.
Why Cursor?
The licence approval was not welcomed by minicab drivers, who fear the threat to their livelihood. Matthew Wright, a regional organiser for the GMB union, raised concerns about job losses, increased unemployment and liability for accidents, and said 'extreme caution' was warranted from TfL. This is a worrying development for our private hire driver members, he said. We can't go charging ahead with new technologies without considering the implications of autonomous vehicles on all parties.
The Road Ahead
The news came as Uber reported better than expected second-quarter gross bookings of $58.02bn (£43bn), but said earnings for the next quarter would fall below Wall Street forecasts. The company also outlined plans to spend more than $10bn on autonomous vehicles over the coming years, although it did not provide a specific timeline. Driverless taxi services are already operating in several cities around the world, although mainly in the US and China, where most of the software developers are based. However, US companies are essentially blocked from China, and vice versa, meaning they have not had to compete directly. Uber abandoned its own efforts to develop self-driving technology in 2020, but it is working with several partners around the world who are in turn using different systems. That includes the Chinese company WeRide, which is operating driverless taxis in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Wayve is also working with the Japanese manufacturer Nissan on integrating its tech in private cars.
Key points
- Uber and Wayve have been granted the first minicab licences in London, allowing them to offer self-driving taxi rides to paying customers.
- The companies plan to start trips in the UK later this summer before the full public launch.
- A human safety driver will be in the car to intervene if necessary, although the software is expected to control the car.
- The next step, of operating the taxis without a driver, will require Uber and Wayve to seek approval via a new process, known as an automated passenger services permit, with the government's Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
If self-driving taxis become a reality in London, it could lead to safer and more efficient transportation for the city's residents. With the technology still in its early stages, it's difficult to predict exactly how it will play out, but the potential benefits are significant.
However, the introduction of self-driving taxis also raises concerns about job losses for minicab drivers. If the technology becomes widespread, it could lead to a significant reduction in the number of drivers needed, potentially causing unemployment and economic disruption.
