Last week, Uber and Wayve announced the launch of their “supervised” autonomous rides in London. This would be the first time Londoners will be able to experience autonomous vehicle technology, although with a safety operator sitting in the driver’s seat (but not driving!). Public using their Uber App to request an UberX, Uber Electric or Uber Comfort may be matched with a Wayve AI powered ride at no extra cost, with upfront fares shown in-app.
Personally, I am really excited by this announcement, as it brings autonomous driving one step closer to reality. Having worked on this technology for over a decade now, I can finally say it isn’t sci-fi.
Gradual roll-out: The only way forward
As I told the London Assembly Transport Committee in their evidence session on Autonomous Passenger Vehicles in June this year, no one should simply arrive in London and deploy their autonomous technology. Introducing these systems must be a gradual, carefully managed process that allows operators to understand the city’s unique operational nuances, and Londoners to get used to it.
There is not going to be a sudden flood of autonomous vehicles onto London’s Oxford Street. Even once they are approved (in some months), operators are expected to begin with small numbers of vehicles in tightly defined areas, gathering real-world data before expanding. Realistically, London will see low hundreds (may be even just a few tens) of autonomous vehicles to start, and certainly not thousands. Put in perspective, Google owned, Waymo, after roughly fifteen years of testing and deployment, still runs fewer than 2,000 robotaxis in San Francisco.
At least for the next decade and beyond, I believe we will continue to see a mixed fleet of both human-driven and autonomous vehicles, and this gradual rollout is both responsible and realistic.
However, the Wayve-Uber announcement adds a timely and important dimension that has been missing in the UK narrative up until now. It gives the public the chance to experience autonomous technology first‑hand while allowing operators and policymakers to understand public opinion, preferences and expectations as the technology evolves. Although Wayve-Uber will have up to 20 vehicles operating in this roll-out, it offers the opportunity for valuable data collection.
Through our research at WMG, we have clear experimental evidence that first‑hand experience with autonomous technology is the most effective way to build trust in it.
An uncongested future
There exists an unfounded narrative around autonomous vehicles’ introduction will lead to congestion. If we agree to their gradual roll out (which all operators have publicly committed to), then the congestion argument becomes hollow. A handful of autonomous vehicles, confined to specific areas and monitored closely by safety drivers or remote operators, will add negligible extra traffic to a city already carrying millions of daily trips.
From an Asian community perspective, temples, gurdwaras and mandirs across London, from Neasden to Southall to East Ham, are often hotspots for large numbers of visitors at once, particularly around festivals. Many vehicles sit on streets with very limited parking, part-blocking roads in most cases. A robotaxi doesn't need to find a space, circle the block, or sit idling while worshippers go inside. It drops passengers (like any taxi) at the entrance and simply moves on to its next booking. Multiply that across a congregation, and the reduction in cars searching for parking, double-parking, or waiting kerbside is a modest but genuine congestion benefit, alongside the added comfort for elderly relatives or those attending alone.
Open questions and the need for learning
Introducing any new technology is like exploring the unknown: we can only regulate or refine what we already understand. Meaningful learning ultimately comes from real‑world deployment. Operating as a supervised service ensures that this learning process, both in navigating London’s complexity and in understanding people’s experiences, happens in a safe and controlled manner.
One of the open questions that I am keen to find more evidence from this real deployment is how autonomous vehicles will deal with emergency services like ambulances, fire services etc. As human drivers we tend to make a very conscious decision of what we believe is right, and sometimes actually do things that are not perfectly legal - so for example, we tend to mount the kerb to give way to an ambulance. We believe it is the right thing to do, but as per the UK’s Highway Code, it is not legal.
So, how does a self-driving vehicle respond to emergency services? And what are the nuances of doing that in a crowded place like London?
This roll out will help generate new data, evidence, and insights, both from a technology perspective and in terms of public preferences. This data will form a valuable part of future transport policy and guidance for all stakeholders.
Public scepticism is expected. For London's Asian communities in particular, the coming months are less about bracing for traffic gridlock or sudden large influx of these new vehicles, and more about staying informed as the conversation between developers, regulators, local authorities and residents continues to unfold. As the Director of PAVE UK (Partners for Automated Vehicle Education UK), we have created a knowledge-based backed by scientific evidence to help public understand the true state of the technology and remove some of the misconceptions.
My small piece of advice to every Londoner, especially the Asian community, do experience the technology, and form your own judgement based on your experience.
