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So it looks like we’re officially living in the future, because self driving taxis are actually a thing now. Yep, you read that right, autonomous vehicles are no longer confined to movies like Jurassic Park and I, Robot. And they’re coming to London’s streets.
On Thursday (September 3), tech company Wayve’s robotaxis were added to the Uber app, meaning Londoners can officially hire self-driving cabs for the first time.
The news comes after the two companies officially got the green light from TfL last month to allow their modified Ford Mustangs (aka the futuristic whips in question) to be hired as private vehicles.
You’ll be able to book rides and unlock the car doors through the Uber app. Taxis still come with a licensed human driver, whose job is to sit in the front seat and take the reins if required. As reported by the Guardian, the driver will introduce themselves before explaining that they won’t speak for the rest of the trip, although the passengers can ask them to take control of the vehicle if they prefer.
So far, only 15 driverless cars have been licensed in the capital, meaning the chance of you nabbing one of these futuristic rides is a long shot. But that number could increase in the long run, particularly considering that Google-owned Waymo and the Chinese company Baidu are also testing out robotaxis in the Big Smoke.
Fully driverless cabs are already in operation in other parts of the world including the US, China and the UAE. Still, it’ll likely be a while before fully autonomous taxis – ones without a safety driver – are on our roads. Approval needs to be granted by a separate process run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which is unlikely to happen in 2026.
Did you see that HS2 has completed construction on the first six platforms of its Old Oak Common station?
Plus: London is set to get direct trains to Europe every 15 minutes.
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