“I’m really excited to show you this,” says Alex Kendall, the CEO of Wayve, as he gets behind the wheel of one of the company’s electric Ford Mustangs. Then he does… nothing. The car pulls up to a junction on a busy road in London’s King’s Cross all by itself. “You can see that it’s going to control the speed, steering, brakes, and indicators,” he tells me from the passenger seat. “It’s making decisions as it goes. Here we have an unprotected turn, where we need to wait for a gap in traffic…” The steering wheel turns on its own, and the car pulls out smoothly.
Riding in a self-driving car for the first time feels a bit like your first flight: a little terrifying for a moment, then reassuringly normal. At least, that was my experience. By the time I stepped out 20 minutes later, I was convinced Wayve is a better driver than most humans—certainly better than me.
Other Londoners will soon be able to judge for themselves, as these robotaxis are coming to the city. Since the Automated Vehicles Act passed in 2024, the UK government has been working to approve self-driving taxis by the end of next year. Wayve, in partnership with Uber, will be among the first, along with the US giant Waymo and the Chinese company Baidu. London may never be the same again.
Robotaxis are already operating in major American and Chinese cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Shanghai, but London presents a greater challenge. With its narrow roads, medieval street layout, unpredictable pedestrians, erratic cyclists, aggressive drivers, and parked delivery vans, it’s a tough environment. “Compared to San Francisco, London has about 20 times more roadworks and 11 times more cyclists and pedestrians, making it a much more complex city to drive in,” says Kendall, a polished 33-year-old.
Wayve handles the test drive impressively. When a man with a walking stick approaches a zebra crossing, the car slows to a stop before he even steps onto it. “We don’t tell the car what to do; it learns to read body language,” Kendall explains as we wait. Several other people walk past the crossing, but the car recognizes they aren’t going to cross.
This is how Wayve’s AI differs from other systems, Kendall says as we start moving again. “It has a sense of how to predict how the world works, assessing risk and safety. It actually understands the dynamics of the scene.” London’s roads throw everything at us: confusing double roundabouts, narrow streets with oncoming traffic. When another driver flashes their lights, our car understands they’re letting us go first. Kendall never touches the steering wheel or any controls, though for now, a human must still be behind the wheel.
Wayve has been training across the UK since 2018. Its cars are almost indistinguishable from ordinary vehicles, except for a bar on the roof holding cameras and radar. (Soon, even that won’t be necessary, as many new cars have built-in cameras and sensors.) “Globally, we’ve driven over 7 million miles autonomously,” Kendall says. “Last year, we drove in over 500 cities across Europe, Japan, and North America—about 340 of them we’d never been to before.” Like a human driver, Wayve’s AI knows enough to handle new situations, Kendall claims.
First-generation autonomous vehicles, like earlier models from Tesla and Waymo (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet), work by breaking down driving into separate tasks, such as detecting traffic signs, predicting pedestrian movements, and mapping. “Each component might use some form of machine learning, but many of them…”The system is rule-based and entirely hand-coded. In contrast, Kendall explains that Wayve was built on end-to-end AI, meaning it’s one large neural network with the intelligence to make decisions. (Tesla now uses an end-to-end AI system, and Waymo is developing one.)
London has roughly 11 times more cyclists and pedestrians than San Francisco, making it a far more complex city for driving.
Raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, Kendall spent his childhood split between adventurous outdoor activities and designing robots and video games. He earned a scholarship to the University of Cambridge in 2014, where he completed a PhD in AI and machine learning, focusing on developing his own system. “I pitched it to several people in the industry, who largely laughed it off,” he says. So, he raised some funding and co-founded Wayve in 2017 with fellow student Amar Shah, who left the company in 2020. Today, Wayve employs about 1,000 people.
Kendall states that Wayve is not solely focused on robotaxis but on all vehicles: “In the future, every vehicle is going to be autonomous.” The company recently announced deals with Mercedes, Nissan, and Stellantis (which owns brands like Vauxhall, Fiat, and Peugeot). Other investors include Microsoft, Nvidia, and Uber. Valued at £6.4 billion, Wayve is one of Britain’s most valuable startups.
However, Wayve isn’t the only company testing autonomous vehicles (AVs) in London. Waymo has a fleet of modified Jaguar I-Paces on the streets—easily recognizable by their spinning rooftop Lidar sensors. (Lidar is a laser-based range-finding technology; Wayve’s cars currently don’t use it, but Kendall says their AI can adapt to any system.) Baidu, in partnership with ride-sharing company Lyft, plans to bring its Apollo Go service to London. Apollo Go already operates in about 20 Chinese cities and parts of the United Arab Emirates.
Tesla showcased a futuristic-looking, two-seat driverless “Cybercab” without a steering wheel or pedals at a London showroom in late 2024, but it’s struggling to keep pace. It launched its first robotaxi services in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area last summer, but its cars in California still require a safety driver behind the wheel—a service it calls a “supervised robotaxi”—because it hasn’t obtained the necessary state permits.
Waymo and Apollo Go are by far the world’s two largest robotaxi operators: Waymo completes 450,000 rides per week, while Apollo Go records 250,000. Both see London as a stepping stone into other European markets. Jack Stilgoe, a technology policy academic, told the Financial Times that Britain could become “the place that slowly writes the rules for this technology that isn’t the wild west of Silicon Valley or the wild east of Beijing.”
Are Londoners—particularly black-cab drivers—prepared for this battle to unfold on their streets? The threat is significant. A robotaxi can operate nearly 24 hours a day. It never gets tired, distracted, or hungry, never makes mistakes (in theory, at least), and never asks for a pay raise—in fact, it doesn’t need to be paid at all.
When asked if he thinks he’ll put many drivers out of work, Kendall responds, “What we’re doing is building autonomy technology that I think brings immense safety and accessibility benefits to mobility around the world. That’s what we’re focused on.”
London’s black cabs are as iconic as its red buses: the hackney carriage has been the city’s ride-hailing vehicle of choice since the 17th century, when it was horse-drawn (today, most are electric). More recently, Uber has disrupted the black cabs’ dominance, providing an economic foothold for thousands of less-qualified or otherwise unemployed Londoners, especially immigrants. According to the most recent government figures from 2024, there were 56,400 licensed taxi and private hire drivers in London.There are 69,700 licensed taxis (which can be hailed on the street) and 256,600 private-hire vehicles (such as minicabs and Ubers, which must be booked) on England’s roads. Will these numbers start to fall?
Steve McNamara, head of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association representing London’s black cabs, says he is “genuinely not worried in the slightest” about robotaxis. He argues taxi drivers do more than just operate the vehicle: “They deal with lost property. They deal with popcorn on the seats. They deal with flat tyres and breakdowns, and with people bumping into them in traffic. When you get rid of them, who’s going to do all of that?”
He also points out that passengers have unpredictable needs: “Nobody ever wants to go simply from A to B. They always want to go via somewhere or drop someone off. ‘Oh, hang on, can you turn back? I’ve left my phone.’ ‘Oh, hang on, there’s Auntie Flo.’ ‘Oh, sorry, we’re now meeting in this pub.'” He highlights the high proportion of passengers with disabilities or those needing help with wheelchairs, pushchairs, or heavy bags. McNamara claims black-cab drivers offer “the best service in the world.”
However, they have faced challenges recently. First came Uber’s arrival in 2012, which initially undercut black cabs by operating at a loss; McNamara says prices are now comparable. Then the Covid pandemic devastated the industry. While numbers have recovered since, most growth has been in private-hire vehicles (up 10.5% in England between 2023 and 2024, while taxis fell 1.4%). McNamara says there are about 17,000 to 18,000 black cabs in London and feels the number may be rebounding.
As expected, McNamara has several objections to robotaxis. He worries they will be “bullied” by drivers and pedestrians: “If I’m a pedestrian, I’m just going to walk out, because they’re going to stop and let me cross. And, more importantly, they’re not going to shout at me out the window or chase me up the street.” He also argues that with their extensive experience (it takes two years to learn ‘the knowledge’), a black-cab driver will always know the best route. “I’ll be more than happy to run a trial of any shape or form you want, where somebody gets in a Waymo or a Wayve and somebody else gets in a black cab, and we’ll time it or measure the distance to the destination.”
Robotaxis do have their supporters. An informal poll of friends in the US brought mostly positive responses about Waymo: “I like not having to talk to anyone and they are calm.” “They follow all the rules and do what you expect.” “I actually worry less about putting my daughter in one, as there is no chance of getting a creepy driver.” “It’s a bit of a pre-party thing, as you can choose your own music.” However, cyclists in the group found them infuriatingly unpredictable. More broadly, many Americans resent the idea of more big tech running their lives. In response, a Waymo spokesperson pointed to a recent poll in San Francisco where “73% feel safe with Waymos on their streets and 68% say the vehicles have a positive impact on road safety.”
The deployment of robotaxis has not been without issues. Their safety record is impressive but not perfect. Waymo claims it has been involved in “five times fewer injury-causing collisions and 12 times fewer injury-causing collisions with pedestrians compared to humans.” However, a protest group in San Francisco showed that Waymos could be disabled simply by placing a traffic cone on the bonnet. One woman reported being trapped in a Waymo by men on the street who stood in front of the car and asked for her phone number.Steve McNamara, who leads the group representing London’s black cabs, says he is “not worried in the slightest” by the arrival of robotaxis.
This month in Austin, emergency vehicles responding to a mass shooting were blocked by a Waymo vehicle that had stopped sideways in the street. In December, a power outage in San Francisco caused hundreds of Waymos to freeze and turn on their hazard lights, even at busy intersections, creating major traffic jams—when the traffic lights failed, the cars didn’t know what to do. (Alex Kendall of Wayve claims their car would have recognized such a situation and safely pulled over.)
Underlying these incidents is the question of how truly “autonomous” these vehicles are. At a U.S. Senate hearing last month, Waymo’s chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, acknowledged that the company’s vehicles communicate with human “remote assistance operators” when facing difficult situations, though he emphasized these operators never take direct control.
Peña did not specify how many such operators the company employs but noted some are based in the U.S. and others in the Philippines. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey called this “completely unacceptable,” citing safety and cybersecurity concerns. “We don’t know if these people have U.S. driver’s licenses,” he said, suggesting AV companies are replacing American taxi jobs with cheaper foreign labor.
In response to the Guardian, Waymo stated it has about 70 remote assistance agents on duty globally at any given time for its fleet of 3,000 vehicles. Assistants can offer guidance when requested, which the car can accept or ignore. More complex situations, like interacting with emergency responders, are handled by U.S.-based assistants. Wayve and Uber indicated it is too early to detail their use of remote assistance.
Whether robotaxis replace London’s cabs will depend on public acceptance, which may come down to price. An independent report found that a Waymo ride in San Francisco costs on average 12.7% more than an Uber and 27.3% more than a Lyft. McNamara, who recently visited the city, predicts they will be more of a tourist attraction than real competition, “because they’re too slow, they’re not particularly cheap and they’re not great.”
Kendall looks forward to a future where all cars are autonomous. While that is unlikely soon—many Britons enjoy driving—roads could become safer when it happens, as AVs may communicate better with each other than with unpredictable human drivers.
But if we are envisioning futuristic urban transport, should cars be the focus? They remain an inefficient way to move large numbers of people around cities. Public transport, cycling, and walking are surely more important. Kendall agrees his technology isn’t a universal solution: “I think it really needs to coexist with all the other modes of transport. I cycle to work every day. I think cycling, walking, the tube—these are really important for Londoners.”
To many, cars are the worst thing to happen to cities. They have claimed more and more public space, bringing noise, pollution, and danger, while roads have divided and destroyed communities. After a century of dominance, the tide seems to be turning as people begin reclaiming lost civic spaces. If our streets become clogged with cars again, it won’t really matter who—or what—is driving them.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs My Ride in a SelfDriving Taxi
Basics Getting Started
Q What exactly is a selfdriving taxi
A Its a taxi without a human driver The car uses sensors cameras and AI software to navigate follow traffic laws and take you to your destination
Q How do I hail or book one
A Just like a ridehailing app but you select the autonomous or selfdriving option You use an app to set your pickup and dropoff points
Q Is there anyone in the car at all
A Sometimes especially during testing there may be a safety operator in the drivers seat to monitor the system and intervene if needed In fully deployed services the car might be completely empty
Q Are they safe
A Developers design them to be extremely safe by following all traffic rules and eliminating human error However as new technology they are still being rigorously tested and can make mistakes in complex situations
The Ride Experience
Q What do I do when I get in the car
A Youll typically confirm your trip on a touchscreen in the backseat buckle up and the ride will begin automatically Theres often an intercom to contact a remote support agent if you have questions
Q Can I talk to the car or give it instructions
A Usually not for navigation changes midtrip The route is set by your app request Some taxis may have voice commands for simple requests like pull over here or adjusting the climate control
Q What if I need to change my destination
A You generally cant change it midride through the car itself You would need to update it in the app which may or may not be possible once the trip has started Its best to confirm your destination before the ride begins
Q How does it handle unexpected things like construction or an accident
A The cars software is constantly analyzing the road It should detect closed lanes cones and stopped vehicles and then safely reroute or come to a stop just like a cautious human driver would
Safety Problems
Q What happens if the car malfunctions or gets confused
A
