Uber to trial driverless taxis in UK in 2026

Th UK government has changed it’s mind again and has now given the go ahead to trial the driverless taxi in 2026. Originally not on the agenda until 2027, they say it will be to the benefit of the economy and are keen to go ahead with the trial.

The Department for Transport says the industry could create 38,000 jobs and add £42bn to the UK economy by 2035.

Would you trust a driverless taxi? What would the benefit be for this service? Less staff abuse but that comes at a cost where drivers are increasing weekly for Uber. Will the taxis be able to only do short journeys in key cities where its easy to track and use the road network. Will it be an option alongside the normal driver options on Uber? Will it just faze out as a gimick after a certain amount of time and will that end up costing jobs not creating long term employment?

Uber launched a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas in March and said its driverless vehicles could work for 20 hours per day, seven days per week.

Customers there can choose whether to take a robotaxi if there is one available, with no difference in fare. Tesla is planning to launch a rival service in the same city in June.

Countries like Japan have this service reguarly now in every day life. Will it work in the UK?

Let us know what you think on our social media channels and if you have even had a trip anywhere in the world in a driverless taxi we would love to hear from you.