Scottish ministers to consider approval for self-driving taxi services

Scottish ministers are expected to decide whether autonomous taxi services should be allowed to operate in Scotland, following plans for self-driving cabs to begin carrying passengers on UK roads later this year.

Autonomous vehicle developer Wayve is working with Uber to launch a robotaxi-style service in London, similar to services already operating in parts of the United States, including San Francisco and Los Angeles. The companies expect the first passenger journeys to take place in the coming months.

During the initial phase, a safety driver will remain behind the wheel and be ready to take control if required. This approach is intended to allow the technology to be tested in real-world conditions while regulators and operators assess safety and performance.

Any expansion into Scotland would require approval from Scottish ministers. The Department for Transport recently invited applications for trials of autonomous taxis, buses and coaches across Britain, but said decisions on self-driving taxi operations in Scotland would fall to the Scottish Government.

The prospect of autonomous passenger services comes after mixed results for self-driving technology in Scotland. A high-profile autonomous bus trial across the Forth Road Bridge between Edinburgh and Fife was withdrawn last year after attracting lower-than-expected passenger numbers, despite being promoted as one of the most advanced trials of its kind.

While no applications have been received for autonomous bus or coach services in Scotland, experts suggest that taxi-style services may eventually be considered for major cities such as Glasgow or Edinburgh, particularly if trials in London prove successful.

Neale Kinnear, founder of Affective Mobility and former head of transport safety at TRL, said:

“The decision of when [self-driving taxis will start operating] will be a commercial one as much as a regulatory one.

“Having successfully trialled and launched in London will clearly make it easier to choose other UK cities for future rollout of the technology, likely in Glasgow or Edinburgh first in Scotland – but after Birmingham and Manchester?”

Uber has said its initial London rollout will begin with a small number of vehicles before expanding gradually.

Annie Duvnjak, who leads global mobility autonomous operations at Uber, said it will launch with a “small fleet” of self-driving vehicles in London before “scaling up over time”.

She added that passengers soon “forget you’re in an autonomous vehicle, and that’s the beauty of it.”

The decision facing Scottish ministers will be closely watched by transport operators, technology companies and safety specialists as the UK moves towards wider deployment of autonomous mobility services.