Overview
- The Department for Transport opened operator applications on 22 May 2026, formally allowing commercial passenger-carrying autonomous taxi, bus and private-hire services on public roads for the first time.
- Applicants must pass rigorous government safety and cyber-security checks and secure local approval from transport authorities such as Transport for London before carrying paying passengers.
- The DfT and companies including Wayve, Waymo and Uber say passenger bookings could begin later in 2026 as the pilot moves from testing with safety drivers to monitored commercial services.
- Recent trial problems have increased scrutiny of the sector, including footage of a vehicle moving through a police cordon and reports of cars getting stuck and making loud reversing noises, with operators and enforcement bodies investigating and a validation driver suspended.
- Ministers and industry argue the scheme could widen mobility for older and disabled people, create thousands of jobs, and support an automated passenger market projected to be worth about £3.7 billion a year by 2040 while feeding evidence into formal regulations.