COPING WTH THE ROAD AHEAD


Even if autonomous vehicles become more common, they are likely to arrive f irst in carefully defined settings: mapped routes, controlled areas, specific operating conditions and tightly monitored pilot schemes. That may eventually affect parts of the market, especially routine short trips or shuttle- style work. But the everyday reality of taxi and private hire work is messier than the technology demonstrations. Roads close. Passengers change their destination. Someone has forgotten their bag. Someone else insists the sat nav is wrong because “it always takes you the long way”. Sometimes the sat nav is wrong. Sometimes the passenger is. Sometimes everyone is wrong and there is a diversion.


Operators should therefore treat autonomy as a serious strategic issue, but not as a reason to panic-sell the fleet and retrain as alpaca farmers. The sensible approach is to monitor where pilot schemes are developing, understand which types of journey might be most exposed, and identify where the business provides value beyond simply moving a vehicle from A to B.


Specialist work still needs specialist people


Many operators already provide services that are not easily replaced by automation: wheelchair-accessible vehicles, school transport, patient transfer, executive travel, community contracts, rural routes, airport meet-and-greet, event transport, and journeys where reassurance matters as much as the ride itself.


In those areas, the vehicle is only part of the service. The real value is in reliability, judgement, local knowledge, safeguarding, communication and care. A driver who knows that a passenger needs a little extra time, that a road floods after heavy rain, or that a regular customer prefers the side entrance is offering something no software update can fully replicate.


This is where many traditional operators may have an advantage if they recognise it in time. Specialist transport is built on trust. Schools, councils, healthcare providers, care homes, airports, hotels, businesses and community organisations often need more than a cheap fare. They need consistency, safeguarding, documentation, punctuality and drivers who understand the passengers they are carrying.


PHTM SEPTEMBER 2026


A wheelchair-accessible journey, for example, is not just a booking with a ramp. It may involve safe positioning, patience, clear communication, understanding the passenger’s needs and making sure the whole experience feels dignified rather than hurried.


The same applies to school transport, where reliability and safeguarding procedures matter enormously. No parent wants to hear that the school run was delegated to an experimental robot because it had excellent lane discipline.


Executive and corporate work also has its own protections. Clients paying for a professional service expect presentation, discretion, punctuality and the ability to deal calmly with last-minute changes.


A good operator can build a reputation around those qualities. In a changing market,


reputation may become one of the strongest forms of defence.


The EV question: charge ahead or wait? Then there is the electric vehicle question. Many operators are considering whether to move towards EVs, hybrids, or a mixed fleet. On paper, the direction of travel looks clear. In practice, it raises a boot-full of questions: vehicle range, charging time, depot charging, public charging availability, battery warranties, finance, grants, maintenance, driver acceptance, insurance and whether the charger will be free when you need it most.


Going electric may be the right move, but it needs planning. A fleet that spends more time looking for chargers than carrying passengers is not a green strategy; it is an expensive treasure hunt. Operators need advice that understands taxi work, not just glossy brochures showing cars parked in front of wind turbines.


The EV route also forces operators to think differently about the working day. With petrol or diesel, refuelling is quick and familiar. With electric vehicles, range and charging have to be built into scheduling. A car that is perfect for a light day may be less perfect when the airport work starts stacking up, the weather is cold, the heating is on and the driver has already done more miles than expected. Range anxiety is real, especially when the last available charger is occupied by someone who appears to have gone for a three-course meal.


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