Driverless taxis are expected to hit the streets of London as early as next year, according to US company Waymo.
The autonomous vehicles have already been rolled out in San Francisco and recently launched in Tokyo, with the UK capital set to become the first European city to welcome them.
Despite the announcement, Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, which represents London’s cabbies, said he was unfazed by the new competition.
“Will I be concerned in 25 years’ time? Maybe. I’m certainly not concerned at the moment. It’s a novelty, a gimmick. It’s the solution that we don’t need. Who needs a driverless cab?“, he told Sky News.
In a statement, Waymo said that “hundreds of thousands of rides are taken every week in the United States“.
“That growth reflects real appreciation, love, and trust in the service among our growing number of riders where we operate. We’re excited to bring the reliability, safety, and magic of Waymo to Londoners soon,” a spokesperson for the California-based company said.
