Uber says it is ready to bring us driverless taxis as soon as they get the green light.
The UK government originally planned to let autonomous vehicles loose on the roads by 2026, but has now pushed back the date by a year.
It means that by 2027, getting a cab could soon be very different: much less chatty, for example, unless the speakers are wired up to Grok (which might actually happen in a Tesla, to be fair).
Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of mobility at Uber, told the BBC: We’re ready to launch robotaxis in the UK as soon as the regulatory environment is ready for us.’
Uber already operates driverless taxis in the US, China, the UAE and Singapore, so this is not just some futuristic ‘one day’.
How does ordering a driverless Uber work?
It won’t just be a surprise when one shows up on the kerb. Users will see the robotaxi appear as an option when they try to hail a ride, so getting one is opt-in.
This is important, because many users are still uncomfortable with the idea of a self-driving car, fearing that it could malfunction, or simply preferring the human touch.
Would you hail a driverless Uber?
Unfortunately for customers, although there is no driver to pay,for the moment the fare is still the same.
Their typical schedule is 20 hours a day, every day of the week, as they only need to stop for charging and maintenance.
A spokesperson told Metro: ‘Uber is building an electric, shared, and autonomous future and is already working with 18 AV partners doing tens of thousands of autonomous trips monthly globally – across mobility, delivery, and freight.
‘The UK is one of the most promising countries for AVs in the world where we will continue to work with partners towards the safe deployment and adoption of autonomous technology.’
Rollout of driverless cars delayed
Self-driving vehicles had been set to be on roads by 2026, with the Automated Vehicles Act becoming law.
But the Department of Transport has now said they will implement the legislation in the second half of 2027.
The government has said road safety ‘is at the heart of the legislation, with automated vehicles expected to improve road safety by reducing human error’.
But there are legal issues to iron out, including who is responsible if a self-driving car causes an accident.
While they may be safer, they are far from foolproof: last week, Waymo, an American ride-hailing company owned by Google’s Alphabet, announced it had recalled over 1,000 of its driverless cars after more than two dozen minor crashes.
The recall notice says their software ‘may cause the vehicles to collide with certain roadway barriers, such as chains and gates’, though no injuries had so far been reported.
Once the UK has driveless cars on the roads, the government believes it could ‘unlock opportunities for those who currently can’t drive’, as well as create 38,000 more skilled jobs by 2035.
Mark Harper, then Transport Secretary, said last year: ‘Britain stands at the threshold of an automotive revolution and this new law is a milestone moment for our self-driving industry, which has the potential to change the way we travel forever.’
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