Driverless taxis expected to hit British streets within weeks

Self-driving taxis will soon be on British roads after the Government confirmed that it plans to start issuing licences to companies that wish to test the autonomous vehicles.

Self-driving cars could be on the streets of Britain in the coming weeks.

The UK Government has confirmed that it will soon begin issuing licences to companies that wish to test them, with fleets of autonomous taxis set to be made available in some UK cities by the end of 2027.

Three firms are planning to launch trials of their vehicles as soon as possible once a permitting scheme comes into force this spring.

The start date for fully self-driving taxis to be commercially available in the UK has been delayed repeatedly, but the Department for Transport says that the plans are now on track.

Vehicles have been tested in Britain for some time, but currently require a safety driver who can take control of the car in the event of an emergency.

Soon there will be no safety driver needed, with only the vehicle’s own sensors and software monitoring the roads and responding automatically where necessary.

A pilot scheme will launch at some point between March and April, beginning in London and likely taking in some other UK cities.

The Government will then monitor the scheme to help establish the regulations that will be finalised over the course of this year before coming into force in 2027.

Companies that have expressed interest in deploying their vehicles in London include the US-based firm Waymo, British company Wayve and the Chinese operator Baidu.

Transport minister Peter Hendy wrote last week in response to a House of Lords question: “The Government intends to introduce the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme in spring 2026 to regulate self-driving taxi-and private-hire-like and bus-like services.

“Self-driving vehicles intended for use within a commercial APS fleet will need to undergo an assessment, by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), to demonstrate that they can safely drive themselves at all times. The initial roll-out of automated services is expected to be more small-scale, and we anticipate that automated services can complement human-driven services.”