London Mayor Khan calls for cap on robotaxis — The Guardian
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a limit on the number of robotaxis on the streets of the British capital. He spoke ahead of the possible approval by the UK government for fully driverless cars to operate in London, The Guardian reports.
Concerns over congestion and jobs
Khan said that politicians have not fully grasped the pace of technological change. In his view, the mass deployment of autonomous cars should take place gradually and with proper regulation.
The mayor raised the issue of robotaxis’ impact on air quality, congestion, and the employment of private-hire drivers and traditional London taxi drivers. According to him, London currently has no cap on the number of private-hire vehicles or taxis, and the city authorities have already asked to be given such powers.
Under the current rules, Transport for London can only grant or withhold consent for fully autonomous vehicles to be used in the city, but cannot regulate or license robotaxi services.
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Testing Chinese vehicles
Freenow by Lyft, which competes with Uber, is testing around 24 autonomous Baidu Apollo Go vehicles in the London borough of Brent. The company expects to launch fully driverless robotaxis as early as next year under the national licensing system.
In September, Uber began offering limited passenger rides in autonomous Wayve vehicles under a Transport for London licence. However, a driver is seated in the front seat of these cars to oversee safety.
Danny O’Gorman, general manager of Freenow by Lyft in the UK and Ireland, said the company is working with Transport for London. He noted that roadworks and the need to follow traffic rules in a city where other drivers do not always comply with them remain challenges for autonomous vehicles. The company also promises to establish a dedicated autonomous-vehicle service centre in the UK and is considering employing there some of the drivers who may be displaced by the technology.
