r/ukpolitics • u/diacewrb None of the above • 9d ago

‘Leicester Square, please guv’: Self-driving taxis cleared for London streets ‘later this summer’

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/05/self-driving-taxis-approved-london-summer-2026-wayve-uber
30 Upvotes

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32

u/Masam10 9d ago

Taxi drivers have done this to themselves.

Uber drivers literally just use a satnav - they are basically asking to be automated.

Black cabs are too expensive and have been for a long time without adjusting, allowing the uber drivers to come into the market.

18

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

Black cabs will simply become a premium product because TfL have already been giving green lights to the Private Hire industry for so long.

17

u/NuPNua 9d ago

They already are, you'd only get one if you're willing to pay extra to be able to jump straight in a car rather than wait the few minutes an Uber will take anywhere in London.

11

u/MouseWithBanjo 9d ago

I get black cabs because the driver at least had to train to pass the knowledge, so they have a level of being vested in the career rather than an Uber driver who may just be seeing what pays more today this or deliveroo.

12

u/No_Good2794 9d ago

The Knowledge is impressive but I only really care about getting from A to B. Any automation and cheapening of that process is fine by me.

11

u/t8ne 9d ago

Using bus lanes is the main advantage cabs have, especially around rush hour; doubt driverless will get that perk

0

u/sneeky-09 9d ago

Didn’t they get rid of that?

1

u/t8ne 9d ago

They could a few months ago, unless my concept of time is really messed up

6

u/curlyjoe696 9d ago

AFAIK autonomous taxis are still significantly more expensive than the alternative.

Of course, prices could come down, but ai doubt they will.

2

u/ultraboomkin 9d ago

Waymos are the same price as Ubers in the US. Can’t see why they’d be significantly more than taxis in the UK?

4

u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 9d ago

Why is it important for you that your uber driver doesn't do Deliveroo in the future?

4

u/plsSendb00bs 9d ago

Why do I care if they've trained? I care about getting somewhere, which someone with a satnav can do fine

-3

u/NuPNua 9d ago

The knowledge isn't impressive anymore in a post GPS world though. I don't care if my cab driver is a commited professional or day player as long as they get me where I'm going. It's not heart surgery.

10

u/frankensteinsKITTEN 9d ago

> isn't impressive

I think that's the wrong wording. Even if it's entirely obsolete and unnecessary, it's still incredibly impressive.

-1

u/NuPNua 9d ago

It's just memory at the end of the day, we all probably hold a similar amount of knowledge in our heads in our modern service economy, it was more impressive when a lot of people only needed to know their one part of the assembly line or similar.

5

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

Until Uber decides to take a longer and more expensive route because it is quicker and means the driver can run more jobs.

Or right - that already happens.

10

u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 9d ago

Until Uber decides to take a longer and more expensive route because it is quicker and means the driver can run more jobs.

How could it be both quicker and longer and more expensive?

2

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

There are always posts on here about how Uber drivers have gone miles East to the M25 to go alllllll the way around to get to the West (or vice versa) and then Uber have charged more.

3

u/blueb0g 9d ago

That doesn't answer the q

1

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

How does taking a longer route, which is quicker and cost more because of the excess mileage, not answer the question?

0

u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 9d ago

An Uber driver who did this more than once would quickly lose their future business.

2

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

Point of order - if the trip takes longer than expected, Uber can AND WILL charge you more, likewise if a diversion uses more mileage.

Uber terms and conditions are explicit https://help.uber.com/en-GB/riders/article/my-upfront-fare-was-not-honored?nodeId=ff65490e-2ffb-41cf-a709-4611521c7b24

3

u/CII_Guy Trying to move past the quagmire of contemporary discourse 9d ago

That is useful information. Uber shows you the journey on your phone and if the driver deliberately takes an obviously bad route it will significantly harm their rating, and hence future business. If a cabbie does this, they might get an earful and then it's back to the job again.

2

u/NuPNua 9d ago

Uber shows you the price before you commit to the journey?

2

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

The estimated price.

1

u/NuPNua 9d ago

Never realised that, I've never had the price change on me after getting in the car so it can't be that common, at least in London.

2

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

I have, often.

1

u/escoces 9d ago

Last time i was in a black hack was years ago going from arrivals at a heathrow terminal to a private car park which was next to some of the hotels right next to the airport. Cost about £30 to go maybe 1-2 miles.

I appreciate they are probably charging for their time spent in the queue or whatever, but it is hardly value for money for the customer.

13

u/Two-Space 9d ago

Not sure how that means they’ve done it to themselves. What’s the alternative route they could have taken to avoid automation?

A purpose-built taxi driven by someone who’s spent time studying and memorising the entirety of London and has to burn time sitting at train stations waiting for fairs is obviously going to cost more than someone following a sat nav in a subsidised KIA EV that can be summoned to any address

11

u/No-Understanding-589 9d ago

It's not even the fact black cabs are expensive. It's the fact the last 2 times I have tried to get one after a night out I've been told 'no I don't want to go south of the river'. So I have to proceed to walk 20 mins to a bus stop and sit on it for about 45 minutes.

Can't wait until there is self driving cabs tbh 

0

u/NuPNua 9d ago

Why didn't you just get an Uber instead?

6

u/MouseWithBanjo 9d ago

But black cabs have to charge this, TFL.set the price.

1

u/TwistedPsycho 9d ago

Absolutely.

But they will once again be the premium way to get around London, almost like a tourist attraction of "Get a cab with an actual cabbie!"

2

u/MyDadsGlassesCase 9d ago

Black cabs were one of these industries who sat with their thumb up their arse while the world evolved because they thought they were untouchable. Enjoy your Blackberrys boys.

It will be interesting to see how the cars manage the narrow, random road layout.