London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for powers to cap the number of robotaxis in the capital as the government prepares to allow fully driverless vehicles. London is the main launch market for Wayve, the start-up valued at $8.6bn after its $1.5bn Series D in February.
Khan told The Guardian that politicians had not kept up with the pace of the technology. He said there were unanswered questions about the effect of autonomous vehicles on congestion, air quality and the jobs of private hire and black-cab drivers. City Hall is lobbying ministers to give Transport for London (TfL) wider powers, including the ability to limit fleet sizes.
Under the current rules for fully autonomous vehicles, TfL can only grant or refuse consent for operation in London. It cannot license or manage robotaxi services. There is also no cap on the number of conventional taxis or private hire vehicles, a power City Hall has requested separately.
The intervention comes as several operators move towards commercial services in London. In September, Uber began offering limited passenger trips in Wayve's self-driving cars, with a safety driver on board, under a TfL licence. Freenow by Lyft is testing about 24 Baidu Apollo Go vehicles in the borough of Brent and hopes to launch fully driverless rides as early as next year under the national licensing scheme. Waymo has also made London a priority market.
For Wayve, the cap-table stakes are high. Its Series D, announced on 25 February, combined a $1.2bn equity round with milestone-based capital committed by Uber, and valued the company at $8.6bn post-money. Eclipse, Balderton and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 co-led the round. Microsoft, Nvidia, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Stellantis also took part.
Because part of Uber's commitment depends on milestones, the pace of commercial roll-out has a direct bearing on how much capital reaches the company. A local limit on vehicle numbers in its home city could slow the progress on which that funding depends.
Danny O'Gorman, UK and Ireland general manager of Freenow by Lyft, said the national framework had encouraged the company to invest. He added that rules for running services once they are live still need to be settled. The company plans a dedicated autonomous vehicle depot in the UK and says displaced drivers could move into remote operation and servicing roles.
Driver unions have protested outside the London headquarters of Wayve and Waymo in recent weeks. Khan said London was not San Francisco, citing its population of almost 10 million and its narrow roads, and called for an incremental roll-out.
Whether ministers give TfL a cap will shape how quickly the sector can scale in its most important European market, and how investors price the next rounds for UK autonomous driving companies.
Original source: The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/nov/01/sadiq-khan-calls-cap-numbers-robotaxis-london-streets
