يحاول ذهب - حر

Hail seizure

October 18, 2025

|

The Guardian

Will we really be in driverless taxis next year?

- Gwyn Topham and Robert Booth

The age-old question from the back of the car feels just as pertinent as a new era of autonomy threatens to dawn: are we nearly there yet? For Britons, long promised fully driverless cars, the answer is as ever - yes, nearly. But not quite.

A landmark moment on the journey to autonomous driving is, again, just around the corner. Waymo, which runs robotaxis in San Francisco and four other US cities, announced this week that it was bringing its cars to London.

Detail remains scant, but the promise eyecatching: the Silicon Valley pioneer said it was bringing its fully autonomous service “across the pond, where we intend to offer rides - with no human behind the wheel - in 2026 ... We can't wait to serve Londoners and the city's millions of visitors next year.”

Those millions might want an Oyster card for London Underground, just in case. The UK government, intent on luring big tech, set out plans in the summer to speed up the introduction of driverless cars, meaning robotaxis could start operating in regulated public trials as early as spring 2026. But the rules are yet to be fully established, and testing may include a safety driver for some time.

The British firm Wayve, in partnership with Uber, in the summer issued slightly more sober news of a “plan to develop and launch public-road trials of level-four fully autonomous vehicles in London”.

While Americans can enjoy the autonomous ride already, Britain's road to driverless cars has been marked by pledges that have tended to vanish. In 2018, Addison Lee - the future once - was promising, along with Oxford University scientists, to be launching robotaxis by 2021.

المزيد من القصص من The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian

Retailer eBay buys Depop for $1.2bn as it tries to lure young buyers

The online retailer eBay has agreed to buy the British secondhand fashion resale app Depop from Etsy for about $1.2bn (£890m) in cash, as eBay targets younger fashion-loving consumers.

time to read

2 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

The Guardian

Gunners lead clubs striving to keep disabled fans in the game

The Emirates Stadium has made huge strides improving facilities to ensure the needs of all supporters are met

time to read

4 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

Bullying claims from 2017 dog Starmer's new civil service chief

Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Antonia Romeo as the country’s most senior civil servant has prompted dismay among former colleagues who complained about what they considered bullying behaviour when she was a diplomat in New York.

time to read

3 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

The Guardian

FBI investigated Giuffre's claims against Andrew in 2011, files show

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been on the radar of US law enforcement for nearly 15 years, documents released by the US Department of Justice have revealed.

time to read

3 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

The Guardian

Park’s stunner helps United tee up Bayern quarter-final

Jess Park provided a timely demonstration of her qualities as her superb, long-range goal capped off a confident individual performance that helped Manchester United progress to the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals with aresounding win over Atlético Madrid.

time to read

2 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

The Guardian

Disaffected in Denton Many voters seek a change for their ‘lost town’

If you’re unsure whether you’ve crossed the border from Manchester into Tameside, the Reform posters will probably give it away.

time to read

5 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

Drone unit to combat illegal waste dumping in England

A new drone unit will be deployed to investigate illegal waste dumping across England, the government is to announce today.

time to read

2 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

Deportations Campaigners say airlines should stop 'cruel' flights

Campaigners have urged airlines deporting asylum seekers to France as part of the UK's controversial \"one in, one out\" scheme to stop facilitating the \"cruel and forced deportations\".

time to read

1 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

'We've survived but it's tough'

Kyiv zoo braves bombardment and blackouts to save animals

time to read

3 mins

February 20, 2026

The Guardian

The Guardian

Future fighter jets Europe struggles to unite behind a common project

France and Germany’s hopes of building a fighter jet of the future, an aircraft so advanced it was meant to come with a swarm of drones and a “combat communications cloud”, are facing collapse.

time to read

5 mins

February 20, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size