Driverless cars are almost here – are you ready?

Later this year passengers in the UK could be booking rides in cars with no one behind the wheel and the government is pushing ahead fast. 

In May, applications opened for operators to run self-driving taxi and bus-style services across Great Britain as part of a new pilot scheme.  

Companies including Uber and Waymo, which already completes over 500,000 autonomous rides every week across eleven US cities, have signalled their intention to bring services to UK roads this year, with London expected to be the first city to see them in action. 

Safety is at the centre of the rollout. Operators must pass strict government approval checks before any passenger sets foot in a self-driving vehicle, including assessments to ensure the technology is protected against cyber threats.  

The self-driving technology could significantly improve road safety, with human error currently contributing to 88% of collisions on UK roads. 

The bar for safety is being set deliberately high. Self-driving vehicles will need to demonstrate a higher safety standard than the average human driver before they can be approved for everyday use.  

Members of the public, road safety groups and accessibility organisations are all being invited to have their say, with a consultation open until 9 September 2026. 

Beyond safety, the government believes the technology could open up independent travel for older and disabled people who currently struggle to access transport and estimates the sector could be worth £3.7 billion annually in Britain by 2040, supporting thousands of skilled jobs in the process.