Posted on the 9th June 2026 in PHTM News

UBER AND WAYVE TO LAUNCH DRIVERLESS CABS IN LONDON THIS SUMMER AS UNIONS WARN OF MASS JOB LOSSES

Driverless taxis are set to hit London streets this summer as ride-hailing giant Uber partners with British artificial intelligence firm Wayve for a first-of-its-kind commercial rollout in the UK.

On Monday, Uber launched an interest list on its app, allowing customers to opt into the trials for the same price as a conventional ride.

The initial launch will feature a small fleet of electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs. While the vehicles are equipped with six cameras, radar, and an AI-powered computer that learns as it drives, a human safety driver will remain behind the wheel to take control if necessary during the introductory phase.

Wayve, founded in 2017 by two University of Cambridge PhD students, is currently seeking formal permission from transport authorities under the UK's Automated Vehicles Act.

Kaity Fischer, who leads Wayve's robotaxi business, declared the technology "ready to go" and called London's complex, 2,000-year-old streets the "ultimate testing ground for autonomous technology."

Fischer noted that London is far more challenging than San Francisco, featuring 20 times more roadworks and 10 times more vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Following the London launch, Uber and Wayve plan to expand the service to more than ten global cities, including Tokyo. Other major tech firms, such as Google-owned Waymo and China's Baidu, are also mapping London roads ahead of their own planned rollouts.

While Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander hailed the partnership as a "British success story" that could inject £42 billion into the economy and create 38,000 high-skilled tech jobs, the rollout has triggered fierce backlash from unions.

At the annual GMB Union congress in Blackpool, delegates issued a stern warning that widespread adoption of robotaxis could wipe out up to 300,000 driver livelihoods and push thousands into poverty.

The union is demanding urgent government legislation to protect earnings, mandate worker consultation, and provide legal safety nets for human operators.

Ali Haydor, a private hire driver and GMB delegate, challenged the corporate narrative of innovation, asking: "The gig economy firms present driverless taxis as progress... but progress for whom?"

Despite small-scale protests from some London drivers, Uber executives maintain that human drivers will not be fully replaced anytime soon.

Annie Duvnjak, Uber’s head of autonomous operations, stated that she believes both human drivers and autonomous vehicles will grow side-by-side to meet rising city demands, particularly during poor weather or on complex routes where driverless technology is not yet practical.


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