Driverless taxis to operate on London's roads from next year

Self-driving taxis could be on the streets of London from next year, according to autonomous taxi firm Waymo.

The taxis have become a regular feature on San Francisco's roads and recently launched in Tokyo.

London, often associated with the famous black cab, will be the first European city to get the driverless taxis.

However, Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association which represents cab drivers in London, is not worried.

"Will I be concerned in 25 years' time? Maybe. I'm certainly not concerned at the moment," he told Sky News.

"It's a novelty, it is a gimmick. It is the solution that we don't need. Who needs a driverless cab?" asked Mr McNamara.

He added he didn't think Londoners would trust the taxis, let alone "put their kids in one to go to school".

In response, Waymo told Sky News it "provides hundreds of thousands of rides every week in the US, and shared in May of this year that we've provided over 10,000,000 fully autonomous rides to the public".

"That growth reflects real appreciation, love, and trust in the service among our growing number of riders where we operate," said a Waymo spokesperson.

"We're excited to introduce the reliability, safety, and magic of Waymo to Londoners soon."

Waymo said its autonomous cars are on their way to London and will be on the capital's roads "in the coming weeks", albeit with "safety drivers" behind the wheel.

The company is working with both the Department for Transport and Transport for London to "secure the necessary permissions to offer fully autonomous rides in 2026".

Those permissions are contingent on the government finalising driverless car regulations and giving Waymo the go-ahead to operate.

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In June, transport secretary Heidi Alexander and then-technology minister Peter Kyle announced plans to begin autonomous vehicle pilots in English streets by spring 2026.

At the time, the government said driverless cars could create nearly 40,000 jobs, make roads safer and add billions to the economy.

Since Waymo launched in the US, there have been a series of high-profile incidents involving the cars.

In September, a Waymo taxi was spotted making an illegal U-turn "right in front" of officers at a light.

"Since there was no human driver, a ticket couldn't be issued," San Bruno Police Department said, adding officers cannot book a "robot".

Earlier this year a "dizzy" Waymo passenger nearly missed his flight after his cab started driving round in circles.

In a video posted by the passenger, the taxi's steering wheel could be seen spinning as the car manoeuvres around a small area of the car park over and over again.

Last year, Waymo was forced to fix a fleet of cars after residents complained about their constant honking.

As the taxis returned to a car park being used as a base, they beeped at each other through the night as they parked or set off on a journey.

A livestream set up by one resident monitored the taxi car park and gathered tens of thousands of views from people from all over the world.