Transport for London (TfL) has granted private hire licences to a fleet of autonomous vehicles - supported by the British automated taxi startup Wayve - but on the condition that a human driver is present.

Wayve's autonomous, electric Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles will be operated in partnership with Uber, under the proviso that ‘a trained and TfL licensed private hire driver' is onboard to ‘oversee the trip and provide support or take over driving if needed'.

Driverless 'robotaxis' already operate across multiple major American cities, providing hundreds of thousands of paid public rides a week.

Caroline Russell AM, chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, said: ‘The approval for up to 15 vehicles on a trial basis for a year is not entirely unexpected. The London Assembly Transport Committee has been investigating the proposed rollout of autonomous passenger vehicles in depth for the past few months. 

'We've spoken to industry experts, operators, representatives from the Taxi & Private Hire industries, Transport for London and the Department for Transport and we discussed the international experience of San Francisco and Oslo with experts from those cities.

‘Uber and Wayve had been clear they would start by operating with a licenced private hire driver at the wheel, without actually operating in fully autonomous mode.

‘The Committee still has many questions about the safeguarding of passengers, so we would not be expecting TfL to give consent at this stage for full autonomous operation.  Those concerns and recommendations will be published in our report, which is due out in the next few weeks.'

While it has not confirmed a date when these AI-powered vehicles will be available to book, Wayve did note that ‘in the last eight weeks alone, more than 100,000 Londoners have signed up to join Uber's Interest List', which gives them the opportunity to book rides and provide feedback when they do launch.

Sarah Gates, VP global affairs and assurance at Wayve, said: ‘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, and we're proud to continue working alongside regulators, communities, and the public as we take the next steps towards making autonomous rides a reality in the capital.'