en.Wedoany.com Reported - The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that applications are now open for operators to run autonomous passenger services on British roads. This pilot scheme aims to encourage businesses to bring new artificial intelligence technologies to the UK, which is expected to create thousands of jobs and unlock billions of pounds in economic benefits by 2035.
The Department for Transport stated that services applying to participate in the scheme will undergo rigorous approval checks, including safety assessments, to ensure the technology is protected from cyber and security threats. During the pilot process, local transport authorities such as Transport for London (TfL) will also need to provide local consent to ensure the services reflect local priorities.
Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood said that autonomous vehicles represent a transformative opportunity for the UK, opening up the possibility of independent travel for disabled and elderly people, while driving economic growth and creating high-skilled jobs. The pilot scheme aims to give passengers the chance to experience autonomous travel firsthand, while ensuring safety remains the top priority at all times.
The evidence and experience gathered from the pilot will be used to support the development of regulations for autonomous vehicles. The UK government completed a call for evidence in March and is currently advancing the formulation of relevant regulations. The DfT pointed out that human error contributes to 88% of collisions on UK roads, and the introduction of autonomous vehicles has the potential to reduce such incidents, as well as provide greater freedom and independence for the elderly and disabled.
However, autonomous vehicles still face some issues, including two active cases currently under investigation by the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Ben Loewenstein, Head of UK and European Policy and Government Affairs at Waymo, said that Waymo currently operates in 11 major metropolitan areas in the US, providing over 500,000 trips per week, and the company is excited to bring its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the UK and help make London's transport safer and more accessible. Sarah Gates, Vice President of Global Affairs and Assurance at Wayve, said the UK has the ingredients to become a global leader in autonomous vehicle deployment, and the launch of this pilot scheme is a significant milestone. Wayve has been developing technology in the UK for nearly a decade and plans to bring supervised passenger services to market locally this year. She believes autonomous vehicles represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make road transport safer, more accessible, and more convenient, and that the industry has the potential to drive significant economic growth, revitalize the industrial base, and create high-skilled jobs.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
