UK Pushes Back Driverless Car Timeline To 2027, But Uber Says It’s Ready Now

Uber says it’s ready to roll out fully driverless taxis in the UK today, but the British government has delayed its projected timeline for approving autonomous vehicles until the second half of 2027, Zoe Kleinman reported for BBC News.

Uber is collaborating with 18 automated vehicle tech companies, including Wayve, and already operates robotaxis in the U.S., China, the UAE, and Singapore. I Photo: Uber

While semi-autonomous driving is currently permitted on UK roads, a human driver must remain behind the wheel and responsible for the vehicle.

“We’re ready to launch robotaxis in the UK as soon as the regulatory environment is in place,” said Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s senior vice president of mobility, during a demo ride in central London using UK-based AI firm Wayve’s self-driving system.

Uber is collaborating with 18 automated vehicle tech companies, including Wayve, and already operates robotaxis in the U.S., China, the UAE, and Singapore.

Macdonald pushed back on claims the UK is lagging behind, saying the U.S. and China lead primarily because they host the developers of most advanced AV technology.

The UK Department for Transport confirmed the new 2027 target and said it is “exploring options for short-term trials and pilots” to foster a robust self-driving vehicle sector, Liv McMahon also reported for the BBC.