Self-driving taxis are coming to Manchester – here’s what we know

Uber’s self-driving taxis have begun mapping Manchester’s streets, with the company preparing to test driverless vehicles in the city without carrying passengers yet.

So, if you have spotted a car covered in sensors and cameras around Manchester recently, it may have been part of the testing programme.

So what is actually happening?

Uber announced its Manchester plans on 14th October, with Pony.ai, a Chinese self-driving company, providing the driving technology, while Verne, a Croatian company, running the operational side.

The vehicles were being used to map Manchester’s streets, with a human driver remaining behind the wheel for safety and no passengers being carried.

Uber had not confirmed how many vehicles would eventually operate in Manchester or which areas they could cover once passenger services began.

Pony.ai pointed to Greater Manchester’s roughly 6 million daily journeys as one reason for choosing the city

In a statement shared online, Uber said they were: “excited to take this first step towards making this technology available to people across the UK.”

Are they actually allowed to do this?

At the moment, the cars in Manchester are testing under a government license issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Department for Transport.

Carrying passengers however is a completely different scenario. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) advises they have not received any applications to run driverless taxis in the region – though it is aware of companies that may be interested.

A TfGM spokesperson said: “We want Greater Manchester’s taxis to be the safest in the country.”

They also advised that any new technology must be introduced in a responsible manner, and that “safety will always remain our top priority”.

Back in May, the government opened applications for a pilot scheme which would allow operators to run self-driving taxi and bus services without a safety driver at all, however Uber and Pony.ai have not advised whether they will apply for this in Manchester or not.

What are the concerns?

Taxi unions including the GMB and ADCU said the introduction of autonomous vehicles could put thousands of driving jobs at risk and called for support for affected workers.

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In London, the London Assembly’s transport committee raised concerns about congestion, safety, public transport and accessibility for passengers with disabilities.

The committee also called for local authorities to have greater powers to regulate potential robotaxi services.

What do Mancunians think?

Not everyone is ready to hand over the wheel to driverless taxi services.

Lily Shepherd, 24, a nurse from Manchester, told The Manchester Tab that she “doesn’t trust” a robot-operated car to get her from A to B.

Others are more optimistic. Adam King, 34, a fashion designer based in Manchester, said: “Self-driving cars may be more efficient than regular taxis, as they could eliminate human error.”

For Lily, however, it would take more than a promise of fewer errors to get her in the back seat.

So when can you book one?

You can’t – well not for any time soon at least.

With no passengers on board the driverless vehicles, no application with TfGM and no launch date, the project taking place in Manchester is very much still in its testing phase.

Uber stated that they want to offer self-driving journeys in up to 15 cities worldwide by the end of 2026, however most of these will be in the United States and the Middle East.

At this current moment, your 4am journey back from Northern Quarter will still involve a human driver – and probably an intoxicated conversation about how your night was.

Featured image via Unsplash