Uber has become the first company to launch a self-driving taxi service in the UK, with a small fleet of 15 autonomous vehicles now operating in London. The cars, Ford Mustang EVs equipped with technology from British firm Wayve, are not yet fully driverless: each ride includes a human safety driver behind the wheel, ready to take control if something goes wrong.
Uber says it surveyed London users through its app and found that more than 100,000 customers said they would choose a self-driving cab if one were available. The fare for a robotaxi ride matches that of a standard UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort journey, with the upfront price shown in the app. The autonomous option appears only after a trip has been booked and only if one of the cars is nearby. Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said the rollout would be gradual, and that human drivers are expected to remain part of Uber London for a long time.
The vehicles use sensors mounted on the roof and elsewhere, with AI software that analyses the surroundings in real time rather than following pre-programmed routes. Competition in the sector is fierce: Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, and China’s Baidu are also seeking to launch services in the UK. Wayve chief executive Alex Kendall called the development of the technology “the space race for our generation”, while acknowledging that serious challenges remain.
Tom Singleton, the first UK journalist to hail one, reported that the journey through central London was mostly smooth. After a 30-second safety briefing, the car negotiated traffic lights, roadworks and a busy demonstration outside parliament, and stopped when a cyclist waved it forward at a mini-roundabout. But as the car pulled away, the rear doors of a parked van swung open, prompting a sharp brake, an alarm, and the safety driver intervening. Wayve later said the intervention was the driver’s choice and insisted its AI would have handled the situation.
Earlier ambitions raised by the government and industry suggested fully driverless cars could be available for hire in London by the end of 2026, but that now looks unlikely. The Department for Transport said it was working toward a framework enabling self-driving cars on the roads in 2027, without giving a fixed date. Transport for London’s Christina Calderato emphasised the need to “get it right” rather than rush. Trade union GMB called for a plan to protect drivers, warning of “unprecedented levels of social and economic disruption” without proper safeguards.
Waymo already operates cars without safety drivers in US cities including San Francisco, Austin and Phoenix, and has been testing on London streets for several months, though not yet with the public. Experts caution that regulators still face difficult questions, such as how autonomous vehicles should respond to emergency services in situations where human drivers sometimes bend the rules to let an ambulance pass.