42% of Londoners oppose introduction of robocabs

A YouGov survey of over 1,000 Londoners, commissioned by the London Assembly Transport Committee, has found opposition to the introduction of autonomous passenger vehicles (APVs) in the capital.¹

Although APVs have not been rolled out on a commercial basis in the UK, several companies, including Uber, Lyft and UK company Wayve, are seeking to obtain regulatory approval to transport passengers in London as soon as this year.²

The survey found:

• Londoners are more likely to oppose (42%) than support (29%) the use of autonomous passenger vehicles in London
• Three in ten Londoners (29%) say they are likely to use autonomous passenger vehicles if they were available
• Only 17% trust these companies a great deal or a fair amount to collect and analyse personal data
• The most common concerns about using autonomous passenger vehicles are about their ability to respond to unexpected situations such as emergencies (48%), road danger (41%), and system or technical failure (39%)

Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, Caroline Russell AM, said:

“Hearing how Londoners feel about autonomous passenger vehicles is an important part of the Transport Committee investigation into their trial and possible rollout in London.

“The strength of opposition is concerning, and we believe the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL) should sit up and take our survey results seriously when considering the next steps for this technology.

“The scepticism of Londoners means concerns need to be addressed and we will be making some strong recommendations when the Transport Committee report is published after summer.”