TfL grants private hire licences to Wayve autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-Es in Barnet
Uber will offer rides to selected Londoners later this summer under supervision of a qualified driver
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Barnet will host the first commercial rides in Wayve’s autonomous Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles after Transport for London granted the cars private hire vehicle licences. The electric SUVs, fitted with six cameras and artificial intelligence software, will operate under Uber’s platform starting this summer.
A qualified driver will sit in each vehicle during every trip. The requirement is part of the licence conditions set by TfL, which assessed Wayve’s modifications and concluded they do not compromise passenger safety. The vehicles will not be allowed to drive themselves without further approval from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.
Wayve robotaxis licensed in Barnet: first autonomous Uber rides to start this summer
TfL grants private hire licences to 10 electric Ford Mustang Mach-Es, but a driver must remain present
Who can ride and when
Uber has a list of 100,000 London residents who expressed interest in robotaxi rides. The company said it will invite some of those people to book trips later this summer. No exact date has been given, but Wayve’s vice president for global affairs and assurance, Sarah Gates, confirmed the service will begin in the coming weeks.
Rides will initially be limited to specific areas within Barnet. Wayve has not disclosed the exact boundaries, but the company’s headquarters are in Colindale. The vehicles will operate on routes that have been mapped and tested by Wayve’s engineers.
TfL grants first self-driving minicab licences to Uber and Wayve in London
Fifteen Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles will operate with human safety drivers from later this summer
Safety and regulation
TfL said its primary concern is safety. A spokesperson stated that every vehicle licensed to carry passengers in London must align with the Vision Zero goal of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries on the capital’s roads by 2041. Wayve’s modifications to the Ford Mustang Mach-E were reviewed by TfL’s experts before the licence was granted.
Wayve’s technology uses artificial intelligence trained on video footage and driving data. The company was founded in 2017 by two University of Cambridge PhD students. London is the first city in the world where Wayve’s system will be used for commercial journeys.
This licence is an important step towards giving Londoners the chance to experience autonomous driving technology. The responsible deployment of these vehicles will bring us safer, cleaner and quieter streets.
Sarah Gates, Wayve vice president for global affairs and assurance
What happens next
Wayve and Uber must apply to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency if they want to remove the safety driver. No timeline has been set for that application. In the meantime, the companies will collect data from the supervised rides to demonstrate the system’s reliability.
Wayve is also working with car manufacturers Nissan and Stellantis to integrate its autonomous driving software into private vehicles. The company has not announced when those systems will be available to consumers.
Questions this report answers
+Who can ride in the self-driving cars this summer?
Uber will offer rides to some of the 100,000 Londoners who signed up for robotaxi trials. The company has not said how many people will be invited or how they will be chosen. Rides will begin in Barnet later this summer.
+Will the cars drive themselves without a human present?
No. A qualified driver must remain in the vehicle at all times under the current private hire licence. Wayve and Uber must apply to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for permission to remove the driver.
+What safety checks have been done on the vehicles?
Transport for London assessed Wayve’s modifications to the Ford Mustang Mach-E, including six cameras. TfL’s experts concluded the changes do not compromise passenger safety. The vehicles must still meet Vision Zero standards.
+When will the service start and where will it operate?
Rides will begin later this summer, but no exact date has been given. The service will initially operate in specific areas of Barnet, starting from routes mapped and tested by Wayve’s engineers.
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