ROBOTAXIS


GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON FUTURE OF SELF-DRIVING CARS


The public and industry are being encouraged to help shape the future of self-driving vehicles, as they are invited to offer their views to make them safe and accessible before the first services become available next year. On 21 July 2025, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood launched a consultation on the automated passenger services (APS) permit- ting scheme and the draft statutory instrument, a key legal element of how taxi/PH services of self-driving vehicles will be regulated once they hit the roads. Access the consultation here: https://shorturl.at/BVeAd The consultation follows the recent government decision to fast-track pilots of self-driving passenger vehicles to Spring 2026, helping the industry to innovate and grow. This will allow firms to pilot small- scale services without a safety


driver for the first time – which could be available to members of the public to book via an app – before a potential wider rollout when the Automated Vehicles Act (AVA) is implemented in full from the second half of 2027. Through the consultation, industry stakeholders, trade unions and members of the public will be able to make their views heard and influence future government policy over a variety of areas critical for self-driving vehicles to run safely and efficiently. These include: l how self-driving vehicles can be made as accessible as possible for disabled and older people


l how services of self-driving vehicles are approved by councils


lwhen a permit to operate a service should be varied, suspended or withdrawn The APS scheme is an essential part of the of the AVA, which will


regulate taxi, private-hire and bus- like self-driving vehicles once it is implemented in full in the second half of 2027. The AVA will require self-driving vehicles to achieve a level of safety at least as high as competent and careful human drivers, and they will undergo rigorous safety tests before being allowed on our roads. Self-driving trials have been taking place in the UK since January 2015, with British companies Wayve and Oxa spearheading significant breakthroughs in the technology. The UK is already host to a thriving self-driving sector. Wayve secured a record-breaking investment of over $1b and announced recent partnerships with Nissan and Uber, while Oxa has already supported ‘bus-like’ services in the US and started rolling out self-driving vehicles at Heathrow Airport to improve baggage handling.


UBER ACCELERATES ROBOTAXI AMBITIONS WITH DUAL PARTNERSHIPS


Uber is making a significant push back into the autonomous vehicle (AV) market,


announcing two


major partnerships to deploy robotaxi services. The ride-hailing giant is investing $300 million in Lucid to acquire over 20,000 Gravity SUVs equipped with Nuro’s autonomous driving technology, aiming for a late 2026 launch in a major US city. This move follows Uber’s April agreement with Volkswagen (VW), which will supply ID. Buzz electric minivans for a planned


PHTM AUGUST 2025


commercial service in Los Angeles by 2026, with European rollouts expected in 2027. Approximately 30 ID. Buzz minivans are currently undergoing Level 4 autonomous testing with safety drivers in Hamburg, Germany,


utilising


Mobileye’s platform with an array of cameras, LiDARs, and radars. Both collaborations signal Uber’s renewed focus on robotaxis after exiting the sector in 2020. While the AV market faces hurdles like high costs and strict regulations, with some companies ceasing operations, others like Waymo and Tesla continue to expand. Uber’s strategy centres on partnerships to leverage existing AV tech and vehicle manufacturing, aiming to redefine urban mobility with flexible, on-demand autonomous options.


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