London ushers in the era of robo-taxi - Autonomous cars are available, but with safety drivers on board
Londoners can use autonomous taxis for hire for the first time, after vehicles from British technology company Wayve have been added to the Uber app.
However, the ability to immediately hail a robo-taxi remains limited. So far, only 15 vehicles have been licensed, while more than 100,000 private hire vehicles operate in the British capital. Around 100,000 Uber users have signed up to try out autonomous rides.
Despite the autonomous technology, the vehicles will have a licensed safety driver in the front seat, who can take control at any time if necessary.
Transport for London (TfL) has licensed Uber and Wayve's modified Ford Mustangs as private hire vehicles. For now, the rules require the supervision of a human driver.
Fully autonomous operations, without the presence of a safety driver, require another approval process from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. This authorization is now considered unlikely to be achieved this year.
The market entry marks a significant step for Uber, which aims to gain an edge in the race for driverless transport in London. The British capital is seen as a key market for the expansion of autonomous technology in Europe.
Both the Google-owned robotaxi company and Chinese companies are currently testing their autonomous technologies in London.
Wayve vehicles will be hailed through the Uber app. Once the customer enters the car, they will be informed that the driver will not need to speak during the trip, but can take control if the need arises or if the passenger requests it.
Meanwhile, fully driverless services already operate in several cities around the world, notably in the US and China, as well as in the United Arab Emirates.
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