Posted on the 15th June 2026 in PHTM News

ADCU ACCUSES TFL OF ABANDONING DRIVERS AS UBER AND WAYVE FAST TRACK AV ROLLOUT IN LONDON

The App Drivers’ and Couriers’ Union (ADCU) is calling on Transport for London (TfL) to urgently step in following the announcement that Uber and London-based autonomous vehicle (AV) company Wayve have opened an interest list for early public testing in the capital.

Uber has declared the technology “tested and ready to go”, with London earmarked as the first city in the world to host commercial Wayve journeys before a planned expansion to more than ten cities globally. In the initial phase, the vehicles will operate with a human safety driver behind the wheel.

However, despite the magnitude of this development, TfL has informed ADCU that it has not been involved in discussions and that no operator has formally approached them.

Cristina-Georgiana Ioanitescu, ADCU General Secretary, said: “TfL cannot just abandon London’s drivers, shrug its shoulders and say ‘it’s nothing to do with us’ as massive global corporations fundamentally reshape the taxi and private hire industry.

"Our members need urgent answers from TfL about the use of human safety drivers during the trial phase. Will these safety drivers be required to hold a valid TfL Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licence? Who will be held liable if there is a technical issue or an accident? The human driver, or the operating company?”

“We’ve had no clarity at all on any of these issues and until we do, TfL must halt the trial to prevent a dangerous circumvention of London’s licensing standards.”

The union is also raising the alarm over how these safety drivers will be contracted and paid, warning that this could simply introduce a new avenue for worker exploitation by Uber under the guise of technological progress.

ADCU maintains that the unchecked rollout of AVs also directly contradicts the statutory targets set out in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) and the Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan 2025. Adding fleets of autonomous vehicles to the capital’s roads threatens to increase congestion, while the massive, energy-intensive datacentres required to run AV routing algorithms actively undermine London’s zero-carbon emission goals.

Furthermore, the threat of market saturation jeopardises the sustainability of the PHV trade and future driver recruitment.

Ioanitescu added: “We are not against new technology, but we are absolutely against platform companies using tech to find new ways to exploit workers and bypass regulations. Uber and Wayve are moving at breakneck speed, setting up waitlists and claiming their vehicles are ‘ready to go’, all while the regulator sits on the sidelines.

“The information blackout from TfL must stop now. We are demanding that TfL steps up, demands answers, and protects London’s drivers before a single commercial AV hits the road.”


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