Uber has said it is "ready to go" now with driverless taxis in the United Kingdom, despite delays in governmental approval for completely autonomous cars.
While the previous Conservative government had driverless vehicles on track to be "set to be on roads by 2026", the new Labour government is looking towards the latter end of 2027 instead.
While limited self-driving is already permitted in the U.K., a human driver still must be at the wheel and responsible for the vehicle.
"We are working quickly and will implement self-driving vehicle legislation in the second half of 2027", the Department for Transport said in a statement.
“We are also exploring options for short-term trials and pilots to create the right conditions for a thriving self-driving sector.”
Speaking to the BBC, Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of mobility at Uber, said they were ready to launch driverless options for ride sharing as soon as the rules and regulations were in place.
"We're ready to launch robotaxis in the U.K. as soon as the regulatory environment is ready for us," he said.
Uber is working on partnerships with 18 automated car tech companies, including the U.K. AI firm Wayve, and is already offering automated rides in the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates.
Results from a survey into British sentiments about driverless cars, conducted by YouGov last year, found that 37% of respondents would feel “very unsafe” in an autonomous vehicle.
But while Macdonald affirmed that “one accident is too many”, he insisted that once initial concerns are handled the experience "becomes the new normal".
