London drivers protest at Wayve HQ as calls grow to limit robotaxi rollout

Centre · 1Around 20 private hire drivers protested outside Wayve's headquarters in King's Cross, London, on Saturday 17 October, over the introduction of robotaxis they say threaten their jobs. 1 Mixed · 2The App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) organised the action and said drivers are being treated as "collateral damage" and should be compensated. It followed a similar ADCU protest at Waymo's base in Park Royal in August. 1 2 Mixed · 2Wayve has partnered with Uber to supply London's first autonomous cabs for hire. TfL approved the start of their limited services, which keep a human safety driver in the front seat, and the first UK services began in September. 2 1

Mixed · 2The Standard says a full commercial rollout is expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approval. Uber's driverless trials also expanded to Manchester this week, according to the Guardian. 1 2 Mixed · 2Uber driver and ADCU London chair Abdurzak Hadi said he felt "like an old car that's not needed any more", fears competing with a machine that could work 24 hours a day, and wants the rollout stopped "completely". He also asked Mayor Sadiq Khan to state his position. 1 2 Left · 1Other drivers quoted by the Guardian include Florentina Ghiuzan, who said she was shocked TfL approved the service so soon, and Faisal Osman, who said robotaxis would "decimate the livelihoods of many people". 2

Mixed · 2The London Assembly transport committee, chaired by Caroline Russell, published a report this week saying it saw "considerable uncertainty around many of the claimed benefits" of autonomous passenger vehicles. It called for devolved authority over such services, and the Standard says it urged the government to let TfL cap the number of vehicles operators can deploy. 2 1 Left · 1Under current rules TfL licenses passenger services but the government decides whether autonomous vehicles can operate. For fully driverless services the Department for Transport would issue permits, with TfL only able to grant or refuse consent. The Guardian reports that TfL is alarmed by this and wants to keep the power to intervene. 2 Mixed · 2Khan's spokesperson said the mayor shares "concerns about potential impacts on safety, congestion and jobs". The Standard says Khan has not come out firmly against robotaxis, according to Green councillor Amandine Alexandre, and that his office had been contacted for comment. 2 1

Left · 1Uber said autonomous mobility "will impact workers, riders, and the communities they live in" and that it is in talks with the government and local stakeholders. Wayve said it is taking a "deliberately phased approach" and has a constructive relationship with TfL. 2 Left · 1Roads minister Justin Madders told the Labour conference that autonomous vehicles could bring "opportunities for well-paid and unionised jobs" while promising to address the impact on workers. The GMB union has asked for a "just transition" for drivers, and a Centre for British Progress report estimates that more than 400,000 UK drivers, 121,000 of them in London, could see much of their work become obsolete. 2 Mixed · 2Demand figures differ between the two outlets. The Guardian says more than 100,000 people are on Uber's London waitlist, while the Standard says Uber reported more than 140,000 Londoners had opted in to use self-driving vehicles. 2 1