A parliamentary petition seeking to stop the commercial introduction of driverless taxis has exceeded 1,000 signatures as concern grows within the taxi and private hire trade over the potential impact of autonomous vehicles.
The petition, created by Thomas Freitas of the Private Hire & Taxi Driver’s Network, had attracted 1,067 signatures at the time of publication. It opened on 10 August 2026 and will close on 10 February 2027, says TaxiPoint.
Campaigners are demanding that the Government prohibit fully driverless passenger transport services and prevent operator licences or equivalent permits from being issued to businesses seeking to provide them commercially.
The petition claims autonomous services could threaten the livelihoods of more than 400,000 licensed private hire and Hackney carriage drivers. It argues that employment protection and passenger safety should take priority before driverless taxis are permitted to operate.
Reaching 1,000 signatures does not trigger formal parliamentary action, but it marks early progress towards the first official threshold. The petition requires 10,000 signatures to receive a Government response. At 100,000 signatures, it would be considered for debate in Parliament.
The campaign comes as Britain moves towards the commercial piloting of automated passenger services. Companies can apply to operate controlled passenger-carrying pilots, including services without an onboard safety driver, under the Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme.
(Picture: Olga Gonzalez)
