Ministers told that TfL must take ‘full control’ of robotaxis
Ministers must hand over full control of driverless taxi trials to Transport for London (TfL), a senior London Assembly Member has said. Last year the Department for Transport (DfT) said it would fast-track the testing of “small scale ‘taxi and bus-like’ services without a safety driver” in 2026 before a wider potential rollout in 2027. […]
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says Waymo robotaxis crash less often than cars driven by humans
Waymo’s robotaxis are involved in fewer crashes than cars driven by human beings, but the federal system for monitoring automated vehicles needs improvement, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests. Per vehicle mile traveled (VMT), Waymo’s driverless vehicles deployed in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin were involved in 68% fewer crashes […]
Uber without the humans: Driverless technology has to serve the public interest, says London Assembly member
Labour’s spokesperson for Transport on the London Assembly has insisted that autonomous vehicles should only be deployed where they solve a public policy problem. Writing in her column on the Labourlist website, and coming on the day when the UK welcomes new Labour leader Andy Burnham as its fifth Prime Minister in less than four […]
“Accessibility and safety must be treated as essential” – RNIB expresses autonomous taxis concerns
With public pilots of self-driving taxi services set to begin on London’s streets in the coming months, the RNIB’s (Royal National Institute of Blind People) Head of Policy Mike Wordingham joined a panel event in Parliament with politicians and industry, to represent the hopes and concerns of blind and partially sighted people, and ensure key […]
Better buses and more trains: West of England mayor ‘not keen’ on driverless cars roll-out
Bristol and the West of England will not be seeing driverless taxis any time soon, despite the Government launching a pilot scheme that could see the automated vehicles rolled out across the country – because metro mayor Helen Godwin isn’t keen on the idea. While the UK government has launched a nationwide pilot scheme inviting […]
London Assembly investigating aims and objectives of autonomous passenger vehicle trials
With several trials of autonomous passenger vehicles underway in London in 2026, and with operators aiming to launch commercial services by the end of the year, a London Assembly committee has launched an investigation to explore whether and how autonomous passenger vehicles could be licenced for commercial operations in London, and what role the Mayor […]
Self-driving cars lack common sense, says Autobrains CEO
Igal Raichelgauz, the CEO of AI technology firm Autobrains, says self-driving cars lack “common sense”, after thousands of vehicles were recalled in the US when a Waymo robotaxi drove onto a flooded road and was swept away. Raichelgauz said that manufacturers train their vehicles by “feeding examples” of road conditions, which can go wrong if […]
Driverless cars will kill the London taxi, says Spectator article
An article in the Spectator by broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti, has concluded that the advent of robotaxis will eventually see the end of the traditional London black cab. “Over the last few weeks I’ve been flying in and out of different US cities to record a series of interviews for an upcoming documentary series,” writes Sacerdoti. […]