IfDT publishes 65 open questions on what driverless vehicles will mean for the UK, from jobs and productivity to society and security

Each question was chosen because it remains unanswered yet critical to shaping policy, business and investment decisions

The Roadmap draws on six months of extensive engagement with councils, operators, industry, unions, charities, insurers, lawyers and universities

It comes as supervised autonomous rides begin in London, led by Wayve and Uber, with Waymo and Baidu preparing services in the capital

The Institute for Driverless Transport (IfDT), an independent research body, has published a Research Roadmap setting out 65 open questions about how driverless vehicles could affect the UK.

It was launched in Westminster on Wednesday evening. It is free to explore online at: www.ifdt.co.uk/research-roadmap

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are quickly becoming a transport option in the UK. In London, customers can now take supervised rides in a small fleet of Wayve vehicles through Uber, with a licensed driver on board. Waymo and Baidu are preparing services in the capital, while Uber, Pony.ai and Verne have begun testing in Manchester.

The Research Roadmap argues that the best moment to shape what follows is now, while services and markets are still forming. The Roadmap explores the 'known unknowns' across five areas: Economics & Productivity; Social Change; Job Displacement; Security & Geopolitics; and Speed of Rollout.

The Roadmap opens with a question about cost: "How quickly are AV costs likely to fall, and when could they become cheaper than existing transport?" Other questions include:

"To what extent does professional driving form part of the UK's employment safety net and how will this function be recreated if demand for professional drivers is significantly reduced?"

"Will Britain become dependent on AV services for any key activities and what fallback options will exist if a supplier fails or withdraws?"

It closes by asking: "Which are the key public bodies that should already be anticipating the impact of AVs on their own work and who within those organisations should lead a response?"

Many of the questions are for people who may never have thought of AVs as part of their job, but whose decisions will help shape what happens. IfDT says answering them is critical to shaping the strategies being drawn up now, from long-term infrastructure plans for local areas to planning for skills as AI changes the labour market.

The Roadmap draws on six months of extensive engagement with the operators bringing AVs to London and the regulators shaping their policy environment, alongside interviews with academics, logistics businesses, unions, local authorities, security specialists and civil society organisations.

James Hutt, Co-Founder of the Institute for Driverless Transport, said: "What struck us most in the interviews was how far this reaches: into jobs, public services, the built environment and national resilience. The people who know those areas best are rarely part of the conversation about AVs yet.

"Our next step is to bring funding and researchers together with the businesses and public bodies that need answers. If you can fund research or offer a place to test it, we would like to hear from you."

The Institute for Driverless Transport is an independent UK research and convening body focused on the consequences of autonomous vehicles. It has no commercial interest in any particular technology, operator, or outcome.

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