The stark reality is that taxis driven by advanced technology (self-driving or ‘robo’ taxis) are expected to be on the roads in London as early as next year.
This is naturally a cause for concern for those who currently work as taxi drivers in the nation’s capital, with the future not being set and looking increasingly uncertain.
Should you be worried, though? Or is there in fact hope that the machines won’t completely take over? After all, there are few more iconic British images than that of the black cab – and it’s the knowledgeable people inside who make the black cabs what they are.
What are robotaxis?
Simply put, robotaxis are taxis driven by advanced technology (or AI). They are entirely self-driving, meaning there’s no human being involved and the whole process is automated.
When will robotaxis come to London?
The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act, which was announced in the 2023 King’s Speech and became law on 20th May 2024, positions Great Britain at the forefront of self-driving technology regulation.
The world-leading act means self-driving vehicles could be on our roads as soon as 2026, with the former Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, noting that “Britain stands at the threshold of an automotive revolution” which “has the potential to change the way we travel forever.”
British companies Wayve and Oxa have already trialled self-driving cars in places like London and Oxford, and so it really won’t be long before we see start seeing them out and about.
How will robotaxis affect Uber drivers?
In the US, Uber has partnered with Cruise to bring driverless rideshares to the road using the app’s platform, and it has also joined forces with Chinese car manufacturer BYD to bring more than 10,000 new electric vehicles with driverless technology to Europe and Latin America.
This demonstrates a clear commitment to the emerging technology and suggests that the global powerhouse views robotaxis as the way forwards, which – to state the obvious – isn’t good news for those drivers presently employed by Uber (or any other rideshare company for that matter).
There is of course a distinction made in the UK between Uber drivers, who are considered employed workers, and independent taxi drivers who are considered self-employed. This has officially been the case since the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal launched by Uber back in 2021, declaring that drivers should be considered to be working not only when driving a passenger, but whenever logged into the app.
Self-employed London taxi drivers, who are regulated by Transport for London (TfL), won’t be affected by Uber’s decision to phase out human drivers in favour of artificial intelligence.
Will robotaxis replace human drivers?
All is not necessarily lost, as research suggests that the UK public is somewhat reticent about riding in self-driving vehicles.
The issue of safety
The main concern appears to be safety, with there still being a lot of questions surrounding exactly how much trust people should be willing to place in artificial intelligence – questions raised by accidents like the one which occurred in Tempe, Arizona in 2018, when a woman riding a bicycle was struck and killed by a self-driving Uber vehicle.
There was also an incident where a Cruise-operated robotaxi dragged a pedestrian 20 feet after they had first been hit by a human driver.
The issue of trust
Self-driving technology (and AI in general) is still relatively unknown, and people tend to be a bit scared of what they don’t understand. On top of this, science fiction films like The Terminator have conditioned us to be fearful of the robotic ‘other.’
It’s fair to say that the issue of trust runs deep when it comes to this particular topic, and it certainly isn’t helped by such horror stories as the ones mentioned above.
Some people are also unwilling to trust the huge companies behind these self-driving cars, with the likes of Elon Musk (of Tesla) drawing criticism for their business practices and politics.
On the flip side…
Robotaxis can actually be a positive thing (or at least that’s the idea). It is believed that the AV Act will create 38,000 new skilled jobs by 2035, unlocking the potential of an industry estimated to be worth up to £42 billion.
While self-driving vehicles may not require human drivers, they still need to be maintained, cleaned and charged – and customer support reps (as well as lawyers) will need to be on standby in case anything goes wrong, or an accident occurs.
Road safety is also a big part of the legislation, with automated vehicles being expected to improve road safety by reducing human error, which contributes to 88% of road collisions.
The verdict
In short, then, the public at large isn’t yet sold on the concept of self-driving or automated taxis (in spite of the supposed benefits), and this means there will still be a place for human drivers – at least in the foreseeable future. The technology itself is still a work in progress, and people will always value that human touch over something artificial. That said, it’s easy to see which way the wind is blowing, and so it’s best to be prepared.
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