Self-driving robotaxis given licence to operate in London in major victory for autonomous cars

Self-driving robotaxis have been granted licences in London to operate in the capital ahead of an autonomous revolution that could generate billions of pounds for the economy.

British technology firm Wayve announced that it has been awarded private hire vehicle licences from Transport for London for its range of autonomous vehicles.

The autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles are understood to have been given permission to ride on London's roads and operate as an autonomous service.

Uber is set to make use of the self-driving fleets, noting that 100,000 people have already expressed their interest in going in a robotaxi.

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It added that it was planning to offer rides in the vehicle "later this summer" before a full public launch in the capital.

However, the fully autonomous service will see a human driver sit behind the wheel to take control during journeys, if necessary.

Uber and Wayve will be able to obtain separate approval from the DVSA once they have demonstrated that the technology is safe.

They will only seek DVSA approval if they want to operate the cars without a driver, although this has been met with backlash.

Matthew Wright, regional organiser for the GMB Union, warned that thousands of private hire drivers across the capital could be affected, describing it as a "worrying development".

"We can't go charging ahead with new technologies without considering the implications of autonomous vehicles on all parties," he added.

Wayve's Ford Mustang Mach-E models have been upgraded to work seamlessly with autonomous systems, using six cameras that have been added to the vehicle.

The Ford models have been assessed by experts, who reported that they had not found any evidence that the technology "compromises passenger safety".

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Despite this, Sarah Gates, vice president for global affairs and assurance at Wayve, described the awarding of a licence as an "important step".

She added: "The responsible deployment of these vehicles will bring us safer, cleaner and quieter streets, and we're proud to continue working alongside regulators, communities and the public as we take the next steps towards making autonomous rides a reality in the capital."

This was echoed by Annie Duvnjak, global head of autonomous mobility operations at Uber, who said the new development would help more robotaxis join the road.

She continued, saying: "This licence is a key milestone in bringing autonomous rides to London on Uber.

"Our interest list has seen an incredible response from Londoners who are excited to experience Wayve's British-built autonomous driving technology."

Several firms have spoken of their goal to have their autonomous robotaxis on the roads of London by the end of the year, with many going through the regulatory processes.

A spokesperson for Transport for London emphasised that safety was the "top priority" and that it was working to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from the road network by 2041.

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