London cabbies want Sadiq Khan to slam the brakes on robotaxis
Union urges Mayor to halt driverless taxi rollout as City Hall report raises questions about safety, congestion, and who's actually in charge
London's minicab drivers are urging Mayor Sadiq Khan to halt the rollout of robotaxis before they jeopardize thousands of jobs, following a new report from Transport for London (TfL) casting doubt on the city's readiness for driverless cars. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) called for TfL to stop the rollout following the publication of a London Assembly Transport Committee report.
Major tech companies like Google's Waymo, Wayve, and Baidu are set to launch autonomous passenger services in London, but the IWGB opposes the technology, warning it could put thousands of drivers out of work. The report details several incidents involving autonomous test vehicles, including one entering a police crime scene cordon, turning into a one-way street, and colliding with a motorcycle.
While robotaxis could potentially lure passengers away from public transportation and increase congestion, Londoners are divided on the technology, with 42 percent opposing autonomous passenger vehicles in a recent survey.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- London cabbies want Sadiq Khan to slam the brakes on robotaxis theregister.com
