Driverless taxis could launch in the UK as early as September

Reported by the BBC, driverless taxi services could begin operating in the UK as early as September, according to Waymo, which says it hopes to roll out a robotaxi service in London later this year.

The UK government has said it plans to update regulations in the second half of 2026 to allow driverless taxis to operate commercially, although no exact date has been confirmed. Ahead of those changes, Waymo intends to launch a pilot service in April under existing trial arrangements.

Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said the government is supporting Waymo and other companies through passenger pilots and “pro-innovation regulations” designed to bring self-driving vehicles onto British roads.

Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, displayed a fleet of its vehicles at the London Transport Museum this week. The cars are already operating on London streets with safety drivers behind the wheel while they map the city. When the service opens to paying passengers, however, there will be no human driver.

Greenwood said she expected autonomous vehicles to make roads safer by reducing human error. “Automated vehicles don’t get tired, don’t get distracted and don’t drive under the influence,” she said. She added that strict safety standards would still apply, including protections against hacking and other cyber threats.

The government estimates the autonomous vehicle industry could add £42bn to the UK economy by 2035 and create nearly 40,000 jobs.

Passengers will be able to hail Waymo robotaxis via a smartphone app once regulations permit. Airport drop-offs will not be available initially. A Waymo spokesperson said fares would be “competitive” but “premium”, rising during periods of high demand.

Rival firms Uber and Lyft are also preparing to launch robotaxi services in the UK once the rules change, both working with the Chinese technology company Baidu.

Waymo says its vehicles have driven more than 173 million miles fully autonomously, mainly in the United States, where it operates around 1,000 robotaxis in San Francisco and 700 in Los Angeles. However, there have been isolated reports of vehicles malfunctioning, with some passengers temporarily unable to exit the cars.