Self-Driving Taxis Arriving in the UK

By Katie Clayton

By Nick Fewings via Unsplash

US self-driving car company Waymo has announced its plan to start operating in London by September 2026.  

They hope to launch a pilot service in April with safety drivers to map the road. However, once it’s available to paying customers, there will be no human at the wheel.  

The government has estimated that driverless cars launching in the UK could bring £42 billion to the economy and create nearly 40,000 new jobs by 2035.  

We asked the public’s opinion on introducing driverless taxis to the UK. 

Weronika Sajewska, 17, said: “I think the roads are already dangerous enough. 

“It’s going to make a lot of people uncomfortable”.  

Bronwyn Castles, 18, said: “As a driver myself, I would not feel safe on the roads. 

“I understand that there are sensors, but there's just no way that they could be completely safe”.  

Georgia Elliot, 18, referenced clips she’s seen of the cars in America: “They’re just like crashing and when there's roadworks, the cars don't know, so it can be really dangerous.” 

Videos hit social media after a power cut in San Francisco in December 2025, when all self-driving vehicles stopped immediately, leaving serious hazards for other road users.  

Tesla has been investigated by the US government after their self-driving cars drove on the wrong side of the road and ran through red lights. 

However, 17-year-old Sophie Kerr disagreed, describing the service as: “Unique and fun.”  

The UK government is currently working on changing regulations to allow the self-driving taxis to launch in London.  

This comes after universities in England were looking into funding research for driverless coaches in 2025.  

The project was funded by the UK government's connected and automated mobility pathfinder, part of the £150 million initiative to increase the number of automated transport methods.  

Professor Stewart Birrell from Coventry University’s research centre told reporters that public trust in technology would always be a “limiting factor.” 

This reflects on the distrust the majority of the public holds towards driverless cars, although reports of the cars trapping people in their vehicles and causing hazards to other drivers prove that the doubt isn't unreasonable.  

Waymo may need to work to improve its cars to remove the distrust of the British public.