The American company Uber, in partnership with the British startup Wayve, will begin transporting passengers in driverless robotaxis in London for the first time.
“Elchi” reports that 15 vehicles will participate in the first phase of the trials. These vehicles will be available for booking starting this week.
For now, all robotaxis will have an operator-driver on board who can take control if necessary. If a driverless car is available, the Uber app will ask the customer during the booking process whether they would like to use such a vehicle. If they decline, a standard taxi with a driver will be sent to the location, reports The New York Times.
Wayve CEO Alex Kendall has declined to provide an estimated timeline for when British authorities might allow broader deployment of this technology on London roads. According to analysts cited by the newspaper, this is unlikely to happen before 2027 or even 2028.
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