Driverless cars are coming to London some time this year.
Waymo, Google’s driverless car division, has confirmed that its self-driving cars will be fully operational by the end of 2026, assuming regulators get the go-ahead.
The phrase “Q4” was mentioned: the corporate code for the last few months of the year.
There are currently about 24 Waymo vehicles roaming the streets of London, although they are driven by humans.
This is the mapping and data collection phase of the project.
The next phase will be testing with a safety driver at the wheel, following the code of practice set by the government for autonomous vehicles.
The third and final phase will be when driverless cars will hit the roads and Londoners will be able to go to their destinations in their own cars.
“We intend to open it to riders later this year, subject to government approval,” Waymo spokesman Ethan Teicher told Sky News.
Waymo has been working hard to gain government approval – and their efforts appear to be succeeding.
A Waymo driverless taxi in lower Manhattan, New York City. Photo: Reuters
‘We are not making any compromises.’
Local Transport Minister Lillian Greenwood MP enthusiastically welcomed the news of Waymo’s arrival, saying: “We are delighted that you have chosen London as your first European city.”
“The government must be in the driving seat,” he said, adding, “We are committed to putting safety first.”
But the government is working with Waymo, he said, to develop “world-leading” and “unprecedented” regulation to accelerate the arrival of self-driving cars.
“We’re certainly not making any cuts, but we are accelerating the path towards more autonomous vehicles on our roads,” Ms Greenwood said.
Waymo emphasised the cars’ safety records.
saying they are significantly safer than human drivers, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.
It also claimed to have other perks, like car privacy and safety for women.
“Our sensors are able to see the world around them much better, more accurately, and with a greater field of view than human drivers,” said Nicole Gavel, head of business development and strategic partnerships at Waymo.
The car was capable of achieving “superhuman levels of perception”, he said.
However, many questions remain unresolved about how Waymo will actually work.
Read more from Sky News:
The UK launches free AI training, but will it save your job?
For example: How much of London will Waymo cover? It’s currently being tested in 19 towns, 13 short of the total, and Mr Teicher confirmed it would start in a small area, expanding from there, though not exactly where that area would be.
Another question: Is Waymo ready for London?
It has so far been operated in American cities, where walking is a crime, and on the gentrified streets of Tokyo.
Will it cope with the behaviour of London’s pedestrians? Or London commuters?
“We see many jaywalkers in San Francisco,” Mr Teicher said.
“Pedestrians are different in Los Angeles, but that’s something we have to deal with. The same is true for every city like Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta and Miami. And in the UK, our pedestrian behaviour has been tried and tested.”
One thing’s for sure: don’t expect driverless cars to flood London’s streets.
In Waymo’s biggest markets, San Francisco and the Bay Area, it has about 1,000 vehicles. In Los Angeles, it numbers 700.
For this reason, Mr Teicher dismissed concerns that the introduction of driverless vehicles would lead to a large increase in traffic, saying, “We’re going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the ride-hailing market.”
However, he also said that tireless Wemos could be far more efficient than humans, so fewer cars could make more trips.
Of course, the proof will be in the pudding – or should we say, in the driving. It looks like we may soon find out if robots can actually work on the streets of London.
