Driving innovation – 38,000 jobs on the horizon as pilots of self-driving vehicles fast-tracked
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-09)

From 2026, self-driving cars without a safety driver could be available for people to book via an app for the first time.

- pilots of self-driving taxi- and bus-like services will be brought forward by a year to spring 2026, attracting investment and making the UK one of the world leaders in this technology
- cutting-edge innovation, regulation and road safety will be the key priorities of the pilots – with the UK’s new automated vehicle legislation one of the most robust in the world
- industry could create 38,000 jobs and add £42 billion to the UK economy by 2035, helping deliver the Plan for Change by putting money in people’s pockets
Nearly 40,000 jobs could be created, roads could be safer, and billions could be added to the economy as self-driving vehicle pilots are set to start in England from spring 2026.

Today (10 June 2025), Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that the government will fast-track pilots to spring 2026, introducing self-driving commercial pilots on England’s roads.

Firms will be able to pilot small scale ‘taxi- and bus-like’ services without a safety driver for the first time – which could be available to members of the public to book via an app – before a potential wider rollout when the full Automated Vehicles Act (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/automated-vehicles-act-implementation-programme) becomes law from the second half of 2027.

Innovation, world-leading regulation and road safety will be at the forefront of the pilots, with self-driving vehicles aiming to reduce human error – which contributes to 88% of all road collisions.

Bringing forward the pilots of self-driving vehicles will help the government deliver the Plan for Change (https://www.gov.uk/missions), by creating 38,000 jobs to put money in the pockets of hardworking people, driving investment to back British engineering excellence and creating an industry worth £42 billion by 2035.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:

The future of transport is arriving. Self-driving cars could bring jobs, investment, and the opportunity for the UK to be among the world-leaders in new technology.

With road safety at the heart of our pilots and legislation, we continue to take bold steps to create jobs, back British industry, and drive innovation to deliver our Plan for Change.

The Automated Vehicles Act will require self-driving vehicles to achieve a level of safety at least as high as competent and careful human drivers, and they will undergo rigorous safety tests before being allowed on our roads.

By having faster reaction times than humans, and by being trained on large numbers of driving scenarios, including learning from real-world incidents, self-driving vehicles can help reduce deaths and injuries. Unlike human drivers, AVs can never get distracted or tired and they won’t drink-drive or speed.

Self-driving vehicles can also improve transport for millions of people – providing greater choice and flexibility to get around more easily. They could add new public transport options in rural areas to boost connectivity for local communities, and improve mobility, accessibility and independence for those unable to drive.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

We can’t afford to take a back seat on AI, unless it’s on a self-driving bus. It’s great to see the UK storming ahead as a global leader in using this technology – making our roads safer, travel easier and driving growth by spurring innovation across the country.

That’s why we’re bringing timelines forward today, placing the UK firmly in the fast lane and creating opportunity along the way so people across the country benefit.

Self-driving trials have already been taking place in the UK since January 2015, with British companies Wayve and Oxa spearheading significant breakthroughs in the technology. From spring 2026, self-driving cars without a safety driver could be available for people to book via an app for the first time.

The UK is already host to a thriving self-driving sector. Wayve secured a record-breaking investment of over $1 billion and announced recent partnerships with Nissan and Uber, while Oxa has already supported ‘bus-like’ services in the US and started rolling out self-driving vehicles at Heathrow Airport to improve baggage handling.

Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO, Wayve says:

The UK has been Wayve’s home since 2017 – building this technology here has been an incredible journey, from testing our first prototype in Cambridge to deploying the world’s first end-to-end AI driver on public roads, starting in London and expanding nationwide.

Accelerating commercial self-driving pilots to 2026 positions the UK as a leading destination for the deployment of L4 self-driving technology. These early pilots will help build public trust and unlock new jobs, services, and markets. For Wayve, this means we can prioritise the UK for early deployment and help deliver safer, cleaner mobility to the UK. We’re excited to bring the benefits of L4 autonomous mobility to cities around the UK.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:

Britain’s self-driving vehicle revolution moves one step closer, with today’s announcements putting the country on track to reap the road safety and socio-economic benefits this technology can deliver.

Pilot rollout of commercial self-driving services from next year will widen public access to mobility, while the consultation will ensure the technology is deployed in a safe and responsible way. These latest measures will help Britain remain a world leader in the development and introduction of self-driving vehicles, a manifest application of AI at its finest.

Launched during London Tech Week (https://londontechweek.com/), the commitments are a cornerstone of the department’s new Transport AI action plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-artificial-intelligence-action-plan) – a groundbreaking vision which sets out how the government is using AI to drive economic growth, reduce traffic congestion, and improve transport for everyone in the UK.

Gavin Jackson, Oxa’s CEO, said:

Oxa welcomes the Department for Transport’s (DfT) decision to enable driverless services on British roads by 2026.

Since 2024, Oxa has advocated for an expedited regulatory regime. Clear rules will open up the market and encourage transport companies to introduce the benefits of autonomous vehicles across the country. Today’s announcement shows that Britain is ready for this technology.

Sarfraz Maredia, Head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber, said:

We welcome the UK government’s continued leadership on AV regulation and today’s announcement marks a significant step toward bringing autonomous services to the UK.

Uber already enables tens of thousands of driverless trips each month worldwide through partnerships with leading AV developers. Having recently appointed a dedicated leader for our UK autonomous efforts, we look forward to working with regulators and partners to deploy this technology safely in Britain.

Michelle Peacock, Head of Global Public Policy at Waymo said:

The United Kingdom has long been home to our first European engineering team dedicated to the development of our AI-powered Waymo Driver. We’re delighted to see the government lay the groundwork for new investment possibilities in the years ahead.

Today, our fully autonomous driving technology provides more than a quarter of a million paid trips each week across major American cities. We hope to continue growing our footprint globally, and one day bring Waymo’s safety, accessibility and sustainability benefits to the people of the United Kingdom.

Julian David OBE, CEO, techUK, said:

Today’s announcement is great news for the UK’s AV and tech sectors. Safety must be front and centre of any new regulatory regime. The call for evidence on the statement of safety principles (https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/automated-vehicles-statement-of-safety-principles) enables a healthy discourse on what outcomes the public should expect from self-driving vehicles. The public must also be able to understand when their vehicle really is capable of driving autonomously to prevent accidental misuse. This is why the techUK members also strongly supports the draft statutory instrument on protecting marketing terms.

The UK must also make sure it doesn’t fall behind other countries despite the promising progress made in 2024 to create new, bespoke legislation for AVs. The ability to deploy truly driverless passenger services from 2026 is a major milestone towards bringing the benefits of autonomy to communities across the country. That is why we warmly welcome plans to accelerate delivery of the necessary regulatory changes to make this a reality.

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