London pilot for driverless self-driving taxis could start in spring 2026

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that pilots of “self-driving taxi- and bus-like services” will be brought forward by a year to spring 2026 – heralding a potential wider rollout when the full Automated Vehicles Act becomes law from the second half of 2027.

Coinciding with the announcement Wayve and Uber said they are to develop and launch public-road trials of Level 4 fully autonomous vehicles in London.

The trials will combine Wayve’s Embodied AI platform with Uber’s global mobility network, “marking a significant step forward in bringing autonomous vehicles to Europe at scale”.

In 2024, Wayve and Uber announced a multi-year collaboration to integrate Wayve’s Embodied AI into vehicles operating on the Uber platform. The London pilot will move the partnership into live operational trials on UK roads, building toward scaled deployment in key European markets.

Wayve and Uber will collaborate with the UK Government and Transport for London on the permitting and regulatory approval process prior to launch.

According to a joint statement from Wayve and Uber, London and other UK cities represent complex driving environments, with significantly different road layouts and traffic laws compared to locations in the US, where a majority of global L4 testing has until now been conducted. The lessons learnt from the UK are considered a major step forward in the development of L4 technology for deployment in cities around the world.

Andrew Macdonald, President and Chief Operating Officer of Uber said, “We’re excited to take the next step in our journey with Wayve, bringing autonomous mobility to one of the world’s busiest and most complex urban environments. Our vision is to make autonomy a safe and reliable option for riders everywhere, and this trial in London brings that future closer to reality.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said, “The Automated Vehicles Act will require self-driving vehicles to achieve a level of safety at least as high as competent and careful human drivers, and they will undergo rigorous safety tests before being allowed on our roads.”

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said, “We can’t afford to take a back seat on AI, unless it’s on a self-driving bus. It’s great to see the UK storming ahead as a global leader in using this technology – making our roads safer, travel easier and driving growth by spurring innovation across the country.

“That’s why we’re bringing timelines forward, placing the UK firmly in the fast lane and creating opportunity along the way so people across the country benefit.

Self-driving trials have been taking place in the UK since January 2015, with British companies Wayve and Oxa spearheading significant breakthroughs in the technology.

The Transport Secretary’s announcement means that from spring 2026, self-driving cars without a safety driver could be available for people to book via an app for the first time.