Posted on the 29th June 2026 in PHTM News

ADCU URGES LONDON ASSEMBLY TO PAUSE AV PILOTS UNTIL VARIOUS ASSESSMENTS CARRIED OUT

The App Drivers’ and Couriers’ Union (ADCU) has submitted formal evidence to the London Assembly Transport Committee’s inquiry into autonomous passenger vehicles, which closed at the end of June, calling for an immediate pause on any expansion of trials in the capital until full safety, economic and equality assessments have been carried out.

In its submission, ADCU warns that autonomous vehicle rollout risks undermining public safety, increasing congestion, weakening accessibility, and devastating the livelihoods of London’s 106,000 private hire drivers unless strong safeguards are put in place.

The union is urging the Mayor and Transport for London to take a far more active role in oversight, including requiring London-specific safety assessments, full public transparency on incidents and near misses, robust accessibility standards, and a legally enforceable Just Transition plan for workers.

The submission also highlights growing concern among Londoners about the speed at which these pilots are being pushed forward without proper consultation or democratic scrutiny.

ADCU argues that innovation must serve the public interest, not simply the commercial ambitions of global technology firms.

Earlier this week, responding to comments by David Lammy reported in TaxiPoint, ADCU said in a public Facebook statement that its position “has never been to stand in the face of innovation,” but that “innovation cannot be at the expense of drivers’ livelihoods and jobs.”

The union pointed to the scale of the threat facing London’s PHV workforce, warning that many drivers are over 40 and could face severe hardship if displaced, while any new jobs created by autonomous vehicle systems are more likely to be linked to energy-intensive data centres overseas than to secure work in the UK.

ADCU is calling for:

• A pause to autonomous vehicle pilots until proper public consultation has taken place.

• Independent London-specific safety assessments.

• Full economic and equality impact assessments.

• Strong accessibility requirements for disabled and vulnerable passengers.

• A legally enforceable Just Transition plan for drivers and other transport workers.

Cristina-Georgiana Ioanitescu, General Secretary of ADCU, said: “London cannot allow autonomous vehicle pilots to be rushed through without proper scrutiny of the consequences for safety, accessibility, congestion and jobs.

"This is potentially the biggest threat to drivers’ livelihoods in living memory. We are not anti-technology, but we are absolutely clear that innovation must not come at the cost of workers, passengers or the public interest.”


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