![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_407824418-autonomous-taxi-robotaxi-ridehailing-350x263.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBritain has taken a major step toward autonomous transit by opening applications for self-driving taxi and bus operators.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Passengers could book autonomous journeys through operators including Wayve later this year<\/p>\n
The pilot scheme will enable firms \u2013 including British self-driving technology company Wayve, as well as Uber and Waymo \u2013 to bring the technology to British roads, and could enable passengers to book driverless travel later this year.<\/p>\n
The Government said it would create thousands of jobs and unlock billions for the economy by 2035.<\/p>\n
Services would also support greater freedom and independence for older and disabled people, as well as expanding travel options across both work and leisure.<\/p>\n
The Department for Transport (DfT) stressed that services will be held to strict safety requirements. Ministers pointed out that human error currently contributes to 88% of collisions on UK roads, and said safety will be central to the pilot scheme.<\/p>\n
Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood said: \u201cSelf-driving vehicles represent a transformative opportunity for Britain, opening up independent travel for disabled people and older adults, whilst driving growth and creating high-skilled jobs across the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis pilot scheme brings that future closer, giving passengers the opportunity to experience self-driving travel first-hand while ensuring safety always comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it was a significant milestone in the safe and responsible rollout of automated vehicles on British roads.<\/p>\n
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, added: \u201cGovernment\u2019s decision to bring forward this legislation has positioned Britain as a leading European market for automated vehicles and a frontrunner in Physical AI investment, development and deployment. Automated passenger services represent a market expected to be worth some \u00a33.7bn annually in Britain by 2040 whilst having the potential to widen society\u2019s access to mobility and improve road safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trials will gather real-world evidence on how self-driving vehicles operate on everyday roads, from navigating busy urban streets to interacting with traffic and carrying passengers safely.<\/p>\n
Learnings from the pilots will support development of self-driving vehicle regulations, which are currently being progressed by Government, following a Call for Evidence which closed in March.<\/p>\n
Operators will also face strict government safety assessments and robust cyber-security evaluations.<\/p>\n
Local transport authorities, such as Transport for London, will also need to provide local consent to ensure services reflect local priorities.<\/p>\n
Uber\u2019s global head of autonomous mobility & delivery Sarfraz Maredia it was an exciting and important step toward launching autonomous vehicles in the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cLondon has long been a pioneering city for Uber, where we\u2019ve launched some of our biggest innovations, and we can\u2019t wait to give people in the capital the chance to experience autonomous rides this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben Loewenstein, Waymo head of policy and government affairs for the UK and Europe, said: \u201cThe UK is leading the way in enabling the safe deployment of pilot autonomous vehicle services. We hope to soon become part of London\u2019s transport network and demonstrate the safety, accessibility, sustainability benefits of battery-electric autonomous vehicles through the Government\u2019s pilot scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah Gates, VP, global affairs and assurance at Wayve, commented: \u201cWayve has been developing its technology in the UK for nearly a decade, and we\u2019re excited to bring our supervised passenger service to market here this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelf-driving vehicles represent a generational opportunity to make road transport safer, more accessible and more convenient for millions of people. Beyond the societal benefits, this sector also has the potential to drive significant economic growth \u2013 revitalising the UK\u2019s industrial base, creating high-skilled jobs and strengthening the country\u2019s position as a world-leading technology ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Britain has taken a major step toward autonomous transit by opening applications for self-driving taxi and bus operators.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45496,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2],"tags":[22963,13,22964,22965,6598,16115],"class_list":["post-45495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-britain","tag-autonomous-travel","tag-britain","tag-self-driving-taxis","tag-uber","tag-waymo","tag-wayve"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116617744513066309","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}