London is not yet ready for driverless vehicles, with complex road networks, challenges with emergency vehicles, and extra congestion just some of the concerns put forward by the London Assembly Transport Committee.
Last month, Uber introduced an autonomous robotaxi service for the first time, while Google’s Waymo is also gearing up for a full UK launch. The move will see the introduction of technology that has been operating for several years in US cities such as San Francisco.
But the Committee, which offers policy recommendations to the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL), has identified a set of issues with driverless technology. In its report Who’s driving the future of autonomous transport in London?, it states: “As it stands, we currently have not heard sufficient evidence to persuade us that London should welcome autonomous passenger services.”
The report found that around 42% of Londoners oppose the introduction of driverless cars versus 29% in support, while only a minority said they would even use the services if they were available.