Protesters call for London robotaxi trials to stop
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmx23n3k35kdo
Demonstrators have called for trials of driverless taxis in London to be stopped, raising concerns about safety, congestion and the impact on jobs.
About 15 people protested outside the offices of autonomous vehicle company Wayve in King's Cross, which is trialling vehicles in the capital with human safety operators on board.
Abdurzak Hadi, a private hire driver and member of the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU), said he was "worried that I'll be forced to compete with a machine that can work 24 hours".
Wayve said it was taking a phased approach to developing the technology with Uber and working with Transport for London (TfL) to ensure future services were introduced responsibly.
Waymo is also trialling the technology on London's roads.
Hadi called on TfL to suspend licences for driverless vehicles until there was greater clarity about how the technology would be introduced.
He said drivers had not been properly informed about the trials, adding: "No message was sent to the wider drivers to inform them of the situation; what is TfL's stance in this position? What's going to happen?"
Priyanka Khurana, from campaign group Fare Free London, said driverless taxis would increase traffic and take jobs away from drivers.
"By adding more cars, you're first of all taking away the jobs of the taxi drivers," she said.
"Instead of having more buses, you're having more cars on the road and that's what we don't want."
James Rossi, a GMB union representative and London bus driver, said there needed to be guarantees about safety and job security.
He said companies developing the technology should help pay for retraining workers who lost their jobs.
"We're not here to stop artificial intelligence," he added.
"What we want is assurances."
The protest comes after a London Assembly Transport Committee report warned driverless taxis could worsen congestion and threaten jobs.
It called for TfL to be given greater powers to regulate the industry.
Wayve said automated passenger services could "make a positive contribution to London's transport system, helping to improve road safety, expand connectivity and give people more ways to travel".
A spokesperson said there was "clear excitement in the potential for this technology to support safer, more accessible journeys", provided it was introduced responsibly.
The company added it was taking a "deliberately phased approach" with its partner Uber, learning from supervised operations and working with TfL to ensure future services aligned with the Mayor's Transport Strategy.
TfL's spokesperson said: "Safety is our top priority and any automated passenger service in London can only operate with TfL's consent."
They said TfL was working with government, unions and industry representatives to prepare for the technology's introduction and that autonomous vehicles would need the transport body's consent to operate in the capital.