The rollout of fully driverless taxis in London is likely to be delayed, with regulatory hurdles preventing their introduction. Operators such as Uber and Waymo had planned to bring robotaxis to the capital.
Transport for London (TfL) has stated that it has not yet received the required registrations from driverless car operators. A spokesperson for TfL confirmed that no operator has completed the first stage of registering vehicles with the vehicle certification agency, nor have any applications for a DVSA permit or TfL consent to operate in London been received.
Under the government's piloting scheme, an automated passenger services (APS) permit is required for any passenger-carrying service without a human driver. The Department for Transport (DfT) added that the regulatory framework for self-driving cars is still being developed, with full introduction expected from 2027.
TfL's director of strategy, Christina Calderato, previously indicated that TfL is not rushing to publish its driverless car guidelines. A TfL spokesperson stated that the guidance "will be issued shortly" but did not provide a specific date.
In the interim, Uber and Wayve are expected to launch a small-scale pilot offering self-driving taxi rides with a human safety driver present.