Transport experts have warned that driverless taxis could make congestion worse in London unless the technology is carefully managed.
Speaking at a London Assembly Transport Committee meeting this week, specialists questioned whether robotaxi services planned by firms such as Uber and Wayve would actually help meet the capital’s transport needs.
Former Transport for London strategy director Thomas Ableman said too much attention was being given to safety while more important questions were being ignored.
“The worry I have is almost that because our starting question is always, are these safe? We therefore move away from the question of whether they are useful,” he told the committee.
Mr Ableman argued that London should decide how autonomous vehicles are used rather than allowing private companies to dictate their role.
He pointed to Oslo, where self-driving vehicles are already being used as part of the transport network and carry the Ruter livery, denoting their purpose as a public transport body.
The former TfL director said there was no reason autonomous vehicles had to be run purely for commercial gain.
Instead, he argued that TfL should identify where driverless vehicles could improve transport and then hire operators to deliver those services, while experts have warned of traffic concerns.
Mr Ableman added: “I’m not totally convinced that adding a whole fleet of zero occupancy vehicles is going to make London’s transport network more efficient and effective.”
Professor Glenn Lyons of UWE Bristol also raised concerns about the direction of travel, suggesting London had little control over whether the technology is introduced.
He said the capital appeared to have “a gun to its head” because licensing decisions would ultimately be controlled by the Department for Transport.
The panel discussed the problem of “deadheading,” which occurs when vehicles travel without passengers between jobs, which could add to congestion.
However, experts said autonomous vehicles could bring benefits to outer London boroughs where public transport options are limited.
Conservative Assembly Member Keith Prince suggested trials could be useful in areas such as Havering and Redbridge, where residents often struggle to travel between suburban destinations.
Professor Jack Stilgoe, of UCL, said London had a unique opportunity to help shape global rules for self-driving vehicles, but warned that companies should not be able to “mark their own homework”.
He called for firms to be forced to share information on near-misses and other incidents rather than only reporting crashes.
The London Authority has raised safety concerns over the new self-driving taxi plans | PA
Dr Nick Reed, founder of Reed Mobility and a member of the Department for Transport’s Science Advisory Council, backed calls for tougher reporting requirements.
He warned there was a “massive asymmetry” between the technical knowledge held by autonomous vehicle companies and the information available to regulators.
The experts also raised concerns about the security implications of Chinese-made autonomous vehicles collecting data on London’s streets.
Despite concerns, Mr Ableman said the city had “more time than we think” to get the rules correct, noting that he didn’t expect any major impacts on private hire jobs within the next year.