Driverless robotaxis begin operating on London's streets

London has officially entered the era of autonomous vehicles, with residents now able to hail a driverless cab through the Uber app, powered by British technology company Wayve.

The launch represents a setback for rivals such as Google-owned Waymo and Chinese tech giant Baidu, both of which had been eyeing Europe as a largely untapped market for self-driving vehicles. By launching first, Wayve has beaten these major international players to becoming the first to offer such a service to Londoners on a broad scale.

A first mass-market rollout

The London launch is particularly significant for Wayve, as it marks the company's first deployment of its technology to a mass-market audience rather than in a limited trial or testing capacity. The company regards the moment as a key milestone in its development.

International expansion plans

Following the successful start in London, Wayve and its partner Uber plan to extend the driverless taxi service to other cities around the world. Tokyo has been named among the next targets, alongside at least ten other cities where the companies hope to introduce a similar service in the future.