UK transport secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that the UK Government will fast-track self-driving commercial pilots on England’s roads to spring 2026. Nearly 40,000 jobs could be created, roads could be made safer, and billions could be added to the economy by the development of autonomous transportation, UK government says.
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 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 by a year is designed to help the government deliver the Plan for Change, by creating 38,000 jobs, driving investment to back British engineering and creating an industry worth €49 billion (£42bn) by 2035.
The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) states that self-driving vehicles have the potential to deliver annual economic benefits as high as €78 billion (£66bn) and an estimated additional 342,000 jobs by 2040. The technology, thit says, could also save 3,900 lives and prevent 60,000 serious accidents over the next 15 years, while offering a wider array of accessible mobility solutions to disabled and older people.
