Image Credit: UberRobotaxis are becoming more and more common, especially in the United States. Tesla has also joined the party with its Cybertaxi, but over in London, Uber has just launched the UK's first robotaxi service, as it too joins the self-driving party.At the time of writing, Uber has 15 autonomous vehicles with a license to operate in the English capital. Also at the present time, there is a human safety driver behind the wheel who is ready to take over if something goes wrong. The technology is, of course, still in its early days.To try to find out what they were like, BBC journalist Zoe Kleinman went to test the service out and put it through its paces. She also became the first UK journalist to experience the robotaxis, and Uber is hoping it can carry out a wider rollout of the service in the future.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe company said it had surveyed London-based customers via the app, and it stated that more than 100,000 have said they would choose a self-driving taxi if one were to become available. This is even though there have been plenty of incidents in the United States where taxis have caused problems.How Do the Robotaxis Work in the UK?Kleinman said that, at the moment, the fare in the UK is the same as a standard UberX, Uber Electric, or an Uber Comfort journey. Upfront fees are shown in the app, as you would see with any of the other services. The option of a robotaxi will only be available once the journey is booked, if any of the cars are nearby.At the moment, 15 of the autonomous vehicles are roaming around London. Each of them currently has a real human in the driver's seat, who is ready to jump in if something goes wrong. So if the autonomous driver is about to cause an accident or perhaps block off a road, the human can step in to correct its impending mistake. Eventually, human safety drivers won't be needed in the cars.Uber's global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, Sarfraz Maredia, said that the company hopes to phase in more robotaxis over a period of several years. "We always want consumers to be able to request a human ride or an autonomous vehicle, and because the market's growing, we expect that there will be human drivers on Uber London for a long time to come," he said. Currently, the vehicle being used as the taxi is the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV.This Is What It Was Like To Ride in the Uber RobotaxiImage Credit: BBC News/YouTubeKleinman said that after a 30-second safety briefing from the safety driver, she was off, heading through central London. The Uber robotaxi handled traffic easily, cruising past a demonstration, and it navigated traffic lights and roadworks along the way. The car even moved forward at a mini roundabout after a cyclist waved it forward.AdvertisementAdvertisementOne incident did see the emergency driver step in. "Just as we were pulling off, the back doors of a van parked beside us on a narrow side road appeared to swing open. The car braked sharply, an internal alarm beeped, and the driver took the wheel," said Kleinman. While Wayve, the technology partner behind the autonomous tech, said that it was confident the AI could have handled it, there are still safety concerns.UK Regulators Have Safety ConcernsImage Credit: BBC News/YouTubeThe Department for Transport (DfT) and the regional authority Transport for London (TfL) are responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new vehicles, and they have been criticised for being slow. However, TfL has said they are simply taking their time to get it right, as it is so new to London and there are still concerns around the safety of the vehicles. "This is new; it's coming to London - we need to make sure it's safe," Christina Calderato, director of transport strategy and policy at TfL, said.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
