London robotaxis launch with safety drivers

Uber and British start-up Wayve launched a commercial robotaxi service in London, with human safety supervisors still behind the wheel for passengers.

Uber product head Wendy Lee said the deployment would start small, with vehicles in the order of dozens at first. Wayve is the first company to launch a robotaxi service to the public in London.

During a demonstration for AFP near Big Ben on Tuesday, an operator briefly took back control of a vehicle at an intersection. Wayve business development head Kaity Fischer said safety operators were being used to keep passengers safe during the early phase.

It is unclear when Uber and Wayve will launch fully autonomous taxis. Transport for London said guidelines should be issued shortly and that no operator has yet begun the approval process for vehicles carrying passengers with nobody behind the wheel.

Wayve and Uber currently have safety authorisation for 15 supervised vehicles. Fares in London will initially be the same as regular Uber rides. Wayve plans to expand next to Tokyo and then to 10 more cities with Uber, Fischer said.