UBER is set to trial driverless robotaxis in London next spring, where passengers could be driven by artificial intelligence (AI) in place of a human.
The ride-hailing app has partnered with UK AI firm Wayve, which has been testing autonomous vehicles in the capital with human oversight.
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The pilot will be the first of its kind for the company, Uber said in a statement.
It is not yet clear whether the vehicles in Uber’s trial will be available for customers to use.
The company said it is still working out the details.
If all goes well, passengers may soon be able to take Uber rides without a safety driver present.
Uber has previously said it intends to introduce fleets of driverless cars to its UK app as soon as legislation allows.
Such journeys have become commonplace in the US, namely San Francisco, home to Google’s driverless taxi firm Waymo.
Andrew MacDonald, president and chief operating officer of Uber, said the partnership with Wayve would help “to make autonomy a safe and reliable option for riders everywhere.”
“This is a defining moment for UK autonomy,” Wayve CEO and co-founder Alex Kendall said in a statement.
“With Uber and a global OEM partner, we’re preparing to put our AI Driver technology into real service on the streets of London.”
The trial has been made possible following a change in UK regulation that aims to get driverless cars on the road sooner.
The UK government was originally aiming for the tech to come to British roads in 2026, then the date was changed to the second half of 2027.
However, the government’s new stance is that it wants them on the roads sooner, and so it’s introducing an accelerated framework for small autonomous “bus and taxi like” commercial services.
The legislation will require self-driving vehicles to achieve a level of safety at least as high as “competent and careful human drivers”, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
Driverless vehicles are hoped to reduce road deaths and injuries, as their systems will be more fault-proof than humans.
The development of automated vehicle technology could create 38,000 jobs in the UK and add £42billion to the economy by 2035, according to the DfT.
It’s unclear how many customers will opt for a driverless vehicle over a car with a human behind the wheel.
The experience still appears fairly daunting – even for The Sun’s Assistant Technology and Science Editor, Jamie Harris, who travelled in one of Waymo’s robotaxis last year.
It comes as Uber plans to take on the skies over Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
The company has announced that high-flying customers will be able to book helicopters in minutes.
From 26 July to 23 August, travellers on Italy’s Amalfi Coast can reserve a private Uber Copter to ferry them between Sorrento and Capri.
Using the Uber app, passengers can book helicopter travel for €250 (around £184) per head to beat summer crowds.
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