We don't tell the car what it should do': my ride in a self-driving taxi

"By the time I step out, 20 minutes later, I'm convinced Wayve is a better driver than most humans—better than me, anyway. Other Londoners will soon be able to judge for themselves, because these robotaxis are coming to town. Since the passage of the Automated Vehicles Act in 2024, the UK government has been working to approve self-driving taxis by the end of next year."

"London may never be the same again. Robotaxis are already established in major American and Chinese cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Shanghai, but London is more of a challenge, with its narrow roads, medieval street plan, unpredictable pedestrians, errant ebikers, pushy drivers, parked delivery vans—you name it. Compared with San Francisco, London has about 20 times more roadworks and about 11 times more cyclists and pedestrians on the street."

"You can see that it's going to control the speed, steering, brake, indicators. It's making decisions as it goes. Here we've got an unprotected turn, where we've got to wait for a gap in traffic. The steering wheel spins by itself and the car pulls out smoothly. When a man with a walking stick approaches a zebra crossing, the car slows to a halt before he steps on to it."

Wayve, a self-driving car company, has demonstrated autonomous vehicle technology in London's challenging urban environment. The company's electric Ford Mustang successfully navigates complex intersections, manages speed and steering independently, and responds appropriately to pedestrians and traffic conditions. London presents significantly greater driving complexity than established robotaxi cities like San Francisco and Shanghai, featuring narrow roads, medieval street layouts, high pedestrian and cyclist traffic, and unpredictable road conditions. Following the 2024 Automated Vehicles Act, the UK government is working to approve self-driving taxis by end of 2025. Wayve, partnering with Uber, will compete alongside Waymo and Baidu for London's robotaxi market.

Read at www.theguardian.com