The transport industry and public are being encouraged to help shape the future of self-driving vehicles, as they are invited to share their views on making them safe and accessible before the first services become available next year.
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood has launched a consultation on the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme and the accompanying draft statutory instrument.
This is a key legal element of how taxi, private-hire, and bus-like services of self-driving vehicles will be regulated once they hit the roads in Britain.
Safety, innovation, world-leading regulation and accessibility will be at the forefront of the consultation, with the automated vehicles rollout aiming to help reduce human error, which contributes to 88% of all road collisions.
Benefits of self-driving vehicles
Self-driving vehicles can provide greater choice and flexibility for passengers to get around more easily, including during unsociable hours.
They could also help introduce new public transportation options in rural areas to enhance connectivity for local communities and improve mobility, accessibility, and independence for those who are unable to drive.
“Automated vehicles are one of the most exciting opportunities to improve transport for so many people, especially those in rural areas or unable to drive,” explained Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood.
“We want to work with passengers and industry to make this new form of transport safe and accessible, as we take our next steps towards adoption.”
Driving investment in the British economy
The consultation follows the recent government decision to fast-track pilots of self-driving passenger vehicles to Spring 2026, helping the industry to innovate and grow.
This will enable firms to pilot small-scale services without a safety driver for the first time – which could be available to the public to book via an app – before a potential wider rollout when the Automated Vehicles Act is fully implemented from the second half of 2027.
Bringing forward the pilots of self-driving vehicles will create 38,000 jobs, putting money in people’s pockets, driving investment in British engineering excellence, and unlocking an industry worth £42bn by 2035.
How industry is shaping the future of self-driving vehicles
Through the consultation, representative groups, industry stakeholders, trade unions, and members of the public will be able to share their views and influence future government policy on various areas critical for self-driving vehicles to operate safely and efficiently.
These include:
- How self-driving vehicles can be made as accessible as possible for disabled and older people
- How councils approve services of automated vehicles
- When a permit to operate a service should be varied, suspended or withdrawn
Gavin Jackson, CEO of Oxa, said: “As the first company to trial an autonomous vehicle on UK roads back in 2016, we are delighted to see the UK continuing to progress towards making automated vehicle services a commercial reality.
“The APS scheme will enable the deployment of innovative public transport services that will augment our current transport network, making it easier and more accessible than ever to get around.”
Rigorous safety requirements under the Automated Vehicles Act
The APS scheme is an essential part of the Automated Vehicles Act, which will regulate taxi-, private-hire-, and bus-like self-driving vehicles once it is fully implemented in the second half of 2027.
The Automated Vehicles Act will require automated 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.
Self-driving trials have been taking place in the UK since January 2015, with British companies Wayve and Oxa spearheading significant breakthroughs in the technology.
