The UK’s journey towards commercial self-driving transport has taken a significant step forward.

Autonomous driving technology company Wayve has been granted a licence to begin carrying paying passengers.

This will be on a trial basis for 12 months.

Taxi!

Transport for London (TfL) has approved private hire licences for 15 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles equipped with Wayve’s artificial intelligence driving system.

It allows the company and ride-hailing partner Uber to launch supervised autonomous taxi services later this summer.

The trial marks the first time members of the public in the capital will be able to book journeys in vehicles operating under commercial autonomous driving technology.

However, each vehicle will still carry a qualified safety driver behind the wheel who can take control if required.

Full driverless operation will require further regulatory approval under the Government’s new Automated Passenger Services permit process.

Where to?

The move represents a milestone for London-based Wayve, which has been developing and testing its AI-powered driving technology on UK roads since 2018.

Unlike traditional autonomous systems that rely heavily on detailed pre-mapped routes, Wayve’s software uses artificial intelligence to interpret its surroundings using cameras and radar, learning to drive in complex real-world environments.

More than 100,000 Londoners have already registered their interest in trying the service, underlining growing public curiosity about automated transport.

Initially, only selected Uber customers will be offered the opportunity to book autonomous journeys as part of the phased rollout.

Sarah Gates, Wayve’s Vice-President for Global Affairs and Assurance, described the licence as “an important step towards giving Londoners the chance to experience autonomous driving technology”, adding that the company believes responsible deployment will help create “safer, cleaner and quieter streets”.

Select first gear

This trial follows the Government’s decision to accelerate commercial pilot schemes for self-driving passenger services, with ministers arguing the technology has the potential to improve road safety, increase mobility and generate thousands of high-skilled jobs.

The Department for Transport believes the automated vehicle sector could contribute billions of pounds to the UK economy by 2035.

However, the development has prompted concerns from representatives of the private hire industry.

The GMB union warned that widespread deployment of autonomous taxis could threaten drivers’ livelihoods and called for “extreme caution” while the technology continues to be evaluated.

For road safety professionals and driver trainers, the trial represents another important stage in the gradual introduction of automated vehicles onto Britain’s roads.

Although the vehicles are designed to drive themselves, the presence of a trained safety driver reflects the cautious regulatory approach being adopted.

In contrast, evidence on safety and public acceptance continues to be gathered.

TfL has stressed that safety remains its overriding priority and says the vehicles must comply with the capital’s Vision Zero ambitions to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads.

The regulator will closely monitor the trial and retains the power to intervene should safety concerns arise.

Release the handbrake

For driver trainers, the arrival of supervised autonomous taxis also reinforces the need to prepare new drivers for increasingly automated roads.

Understanding how automated vehicles behave, how they interact with conventional traffic and what responsibilities remain with human drivers is likely to become an increasingly important part of driver education.

While fully driverless taxis remain a year away, if all goes to plan, the Wayve trial signals that autonomous passenger services are moving from research projects to real-world commercial operations.

This offers a glimpse of how urban transport could evolve over the coming years and the potential decline of the private car and even driving licences.