Uber and Wayve began ferrying paying passengers around London this week, and a licensed human driver is still behind the wheel.
The service launched September 3, with Wayve calling it the UK's first autonomous ride-hailing operation. Every vehicle carries a trained, TfL-licensed private hire driver, ready to take over. Bloomberg's Olivia Solon rode one on a wet morning this week and described the experience as autonomous driving with a driver's hands still nearby. The setup mirrors a supervised trial more than a true robotaxi rollout.
Britain opened a legal path to fully driverless taxis back in May, through an Automated Passenger Services permit. Uber and Wayve did not use it. Instead they filed under the standard private hire vehicle rules, which explains why a human is still required in every seat.
Call it a robotaxi if you like, but the phrase is doing more marketing than the regulation currently allows.