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The UK plans to bring a handful of unmanned taxis to the UK streets next year. This is because they are trying to keep up with the US and China when adopting self-driving cars.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Tuesday that a commercial trial for a completely unmanned taxi service will begin a year earlier than planned next spring.
These tests will provide most British people with their first experience with self-driving cars.
Alexander argued that the autonomous automotive industry could create 38,000 new jobs by 2035, adding £42 billion to the UK economy.
“The future of transportation is arriving,” she said. “Automated vehicles can bring jobs, investments and opportunities to help the UK become one of the world leaders of new technology.”
One government official said the court’s priorities are to ensure cutting-edge innovation, regulation and road safety.
Previously conservative governments had aimed to deploy self-driving vehicles by 2026, but this is expected in the second half of 2027 due to delays caused by changes in management.
The new scheme of the Labour Government allows a small number of so-called “Robotaxis” and bus-like services to begin serving customers much faster on a pilot basis, without the need for safety drivers behind the wheels.
The UK Motor Vehicle Act, approved by lawmakers last May, established a framework for placing self-driving vehicles on the roads, but is subject to local government consent and compliance with safety requirements.
Legal equipment allows unmanned taxis to be deployed in limited locations.
Industry executives are looking for a high-speed truck system for pilot programs so that the UK does not fall behind in the global race to unleash self-driving cars.
Uber, a US ride company, and Wayve, a London-based autonomous technology business, have run one of the UK’s first fully unmanned taxi services and said they will launch it soon next year.
“This is a critical moment for UK autonomy,” said Alex Kendall, CEO and co-founder of Wayve.
While Uber already works with over 12 autonomous high-tech companies around the world, London will be the largest market for unmanned taxis outside the US.
“Our vision is to make autonomy a safe and reliable option for riders everywhere. This trial brings that future closer to reality,” said Andrew Macdonald, president and chief operating officer at Uber.
The exact timing and number of launch vehicles has not yet been determined, as the deployment of Uber and Wayve’s fleets relies on regulatory approvals from capital transport authorities, the UK government, and London transport.
The UK and continental Europe are far behind the US and China in unmanned vehicles. It argues that this could improve road safety and revolutionize transportation.
Driver Les Taxi, operated by Waymo, has become a familiar sight in San Francisco and several other parts of the United States.
The Alphabet-owned business currently operates more than 250,000 paid trips each week.
Meanwhile, Tesla plans to launch commercial autonomous riding services in Austin, Texas soon as this month.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, when asked in January about the timing of the company’s “fully autonomous driving” technology release on the continent, criticized Europe as “a layer cake of bureaucratic regulations that really needs to be addressed.”
In China, autonomous driving systems are growing rapidly, and regulators are struggling to keep up.
Chinese tech companies such as Pony.ai and Baidu have tested Robotaxy in autonomous driving pilot zones in around 20 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
