{
  "id": 5252124,
  "title": "London’s first self-driving taxis for hire hit the streets",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/londons-first-self-driving-taxis-for-hire-hit-the-streets",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T05:00:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/03/london-first-self-driving-taxis-for-hire-wayve-uber"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Wayve, a UK-based tech company, has introduced its first fleet of self-driving taxis for hire in London, adding them to the Uber app. The vehicles, equipped with human drivers in the front seat for safety, have only 15 licensed cars available for the launch. The company's AI Driver technology, which learns and adapts, is still maturing but aims to bring fully autonomous rides to the market in the near future. This marks a significant milestone for Uber, as they race against other tech giants, like Google's Waymo and China's Baidu, to bring driverless taxis to London. Wayve's CEO, Alex Kendall, expressed pride in demonstrating the company's technology in London, one of the most challenging urban driving environments worldwide. The cars will be accessible through the Uber app, and while the ride will initially be heavily supervised, the ultimate goal is to transition to fully driverless services as regulatory approval and vehicle validation progress. Uber's chief of autonomous mobility, Sarfraz Maredia, emphasized the potential benefits of the technology, such as safety and cost savings, while acknowledging the concerns of traditional drivers about job displacement. The launch in London follows a similar launch in Zagreb, Croatia, and reflects the broader global trend of cities adopting driverless technology.",
  "summary": "Wayve robotaxis added to Uber app and will have human in front ready to take over if needed – but only 15 cars licensed Londoners are now able to hire self-driving taxis for the first time, after rides in Wayve’s autonomous vehicles were added to the Uber app on Thursday. The chances of landing a robotaxi on request immediately are slim, with only 15 vehicles so far licensed. That contrasts with…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Technology",
        "title": "London’s first self-driving taxis for hire hit the streets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/londons-first-self-driving-taxis-for-hire-hit-the-streets-5252229",
        "published": "2026-09-03T05:00:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}