Uber will trial robotaxis - autonomous cars with no human safety driver at the wheel - in London next spring.

The ride-hailing app will work with the UK artificial intelligence (AI) firm Wayve, which has been testing out the technology on the city's streets with human oversight, in line with current legislation.

The announcement comes after the UK government changed its rules about the driverless cars once again.

It was originally aiming for the tech to come to British roads in 2026, then the date was changed to the second half of 2027. But it now says it is introducing an accelerated framework for small autonomous "bus and taxi like" commercial services to get them underway earlier.

It is not yet clear whether the vehicles in Uber's trial will be available for customers to use - the firm says it is still working out the details. It has previously said it intends to add them as a regular option via its UK app as soon as legislation allows.

The Department for Transport says the industry could create 38,000 jobs and add £42bn to the UK economy by 2035.

But speaking to the BBC last month, GMB national secretary Andy Prendergast said the "significant social implications" driverless cars and taxis could have - including on unemployment - should also be fully considered.

Uber launched a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas in March and said its driverless vehicles could work for 20 hours per day, seven days per week. Customers there can choose whether to take a robotaxi if there is one available, with no difference in fare. Tesla is planning to launch a rival service in the same city in June.

Fully driverless cars have done millions of miles on public roads in other countries too, including China, UAE and Singapore, but whether they are more or less safe than human-driven ones is still being investigated.

Numerous studies suggest automated vehicles are less accident-prone than human drivers, based on US data. But there have been a number of incidents involving robotaxis in the countries where they operate, ranging from road accidents to passengers being locked in. And one service in San Francisco was cancelled after a series of malfunctions.

In May I took a ride in a car fitted out with Wayve's autonomous kit across central London. We had a human safety driver at the wheel but he did not have to use the controls once during our 30 minute journey. The car handled every potential hazard which appeared in the busy streets including congestion, temporary traffic lights, cyclists and, at one point, a pedestrian using crutches in the middle of the road.

The Ford Mach-e was fitted with sensors and a radar, and an AI-powered system controlled the vehicle's responses in real time. If anything it was a lot more cautious than a human driver, which made for a reassuringly uneventful trip.

15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:47 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It has been delayed between Reading and Kingham and is now 20 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:10/06/2025 17:19

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:10/06/2025 17:19

As with Red Squirrel, I hope tram-train is not ruled out.

'Impossible' to get driving tests, say learners

Learner drivers in the West say they are resorting to using expensive cancellation websites in a desperate attempt to book their tests.

With the official routes for booking tests oversubscribed, the BBC has been told that companies are block-booking appointments and selling them on to people unable to find a spot.

Daisy Bodkin, 24, from Cheltenham, said it was "impossible" to get a test through the official Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website, and she and many of her peers had turned to the private apps as a last resort.

Loveday Ryder, DVSA chief executive, said the organisation had been working "tirelessly" to address the issues and reduce driving test waiting times.

These unofficial companies will use the applicants' driving licence number to reserve a bulk amount of test appointments until they can resell them at a higher price. The license number will then be changed to match the buyers'.

Using these sites is what allows automated bots to exploit the driving test booking service, by getting users to provide the necessary details the companies need to hold the slots. This leaves those who are ready to take their test struggling to find one at a date and time of their choice.

Nearly 27,000 people responded to a call for evidence from the DVSA between December and February. Of those, 93.1% said they had struggled with a lack of suitable test appointment slots.

Ms Bodkin, who recently finished university and works as a freelance journalist for the BBC, said she had booked a test in October 2024 for March 2025, but had failed. "I waited until I felt like I was ready to book a test, which I think was probably not the right thing to do - I should have booked it ages ago," she said.

With the end of her university in sight she put rebooking her test "on the back burner", only to find later that there were no tests available through the DVSA in Cheltenham or Gloucester until 2026. "Everyone is recommending the apps, which I know is the thing that is causing all the issues, but also I don't really want to be left behind when everyone is doing it," she added.

With booking tests on the DVSA website "impossible", she said, her and her peers have been left "constantly checking" the apps for cancellations. The pressure of knowing another test would likely be a long way off if she failed "definitely added" to her nerves, Ms Bodkin said.

Russell Marchant, who runs Bubble Driving School in Somerset, said many learners will cancel lessons to save money while they wait for their test. But this risks them forgetting what they have learnt and feeling unprepared when the time finally comes, he added. "As soon as someone starts in the car, as soon as they've passed their theory, we encourage them to try and get a test booked because we know it's going to be six months down the line."

Mr Merchant blames the Covid-19 pandemic for the mounting backlog, as postponed tests were continually added to the waiting list. "[there were] Four lockdowns and in all of them the DVSA were not testing," he explained. "That caused a lot of instructors to find other jobs. We had examiners leave the industry and not come back."

However, Ms Ryder told the BBC the DVSA had been "making good progress" on a plan to bring down waiting times, which was announced in December 2024. "[Our] goal is to make booking a driving test easier and fairer for everyone while preventing excessive charges for learner drivers," she added.

Alterations to services between London Paddington and Slough
Due to a safety inspection of the track between London Paddington and Slough some lines will be blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 13:45 10/06.

I have ... wondered at times ... why a village like Coldstream needs its own special guards ... but I digress!

Being reported LIVE on BBC breakfast news on 10 June,

just wondering if they MIGHT try to get some live coverage while the train is in motion!

Children under the age of 16 are to be offered free bus travel across the summer.

It is expected to benefit up to 150,000 children living in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath and North East Somerset.

The offer, backed by the West of England Combined Authority and funded through a £13.5m government transport grant, will run from 19 July to 5 September. Bus travel for children aged from five to 15 is currently capped at £1 per journey.

The new regional mayor, Labour's Helen Godwin, said she wanted families to have "something to look forward to" in the summer. The move was backed by Bristol's Green council.

Mrs Godwin launched the initiative at a play park in Hengrove, describing it as a much-needed boost for families facing mounting living costs. "We really want all families across the West of England to have something to look forward to this summer," she said. "Hopefully this will feel like a bit of a help."

The mother of three highlighted the burden transport costs place on families. "If my husband and three kids wanted to go and do something, you're talking about over £15 for us to go out. It's quite a lot of money."

The initiative is designed to help children visit friends, explore local attractions, and access free summer events.

Kate Marsh, the head teacher of Perry Court E-ACT Academy, said the offer would be "fantastic" for families who rely on buses. "It opens up a lot more options to them - visiting parks, family, museums and seeing friends… This will help with mental wellbeing as well as a benefit for their education."

The scheme, which still requires final approval, builds on a wider push to boost public transport use. It follows a recent birthday-month free bus pass scheme for all West of England residents.

Bristol City Council leader and Green Party councillor Tony Dyer said the plan would reduce barriers for young people seeking out opportunities. "We fully support this initiative… With so many events and activities happening across Bristol this summer, this will help make accessing them much easier."

The free travel scheme will apply to most local services, though some, such as airport routes, will be exempt.

We will not be able to make any material difference to the way cycles can be stored on our Voyagers. Although the work taking place is extensive, to make changes to the provision for cycles would have required structural modifications to the train interiors, which would have significantly increased the scope and cost of the refurbishment. I do recognise that some people can find the existing arrangement difficult. I am certain that if asked our onboard teams would be happy to help, or [customer name] could request support through the Travel Assistance service and a link is available on our website.

While we won’t be able to change things for our cycling passengers, I can confirm that the work will include the replacement of all current passenger seating. These will be replaced with new seats to hopefully provide a more comfortable experience for our long distance users.

Kind regards

Richard Gibson

... There is no taxi rank at either, but cabs can be booked by phone ...

That's probably a text book example of where removing stops is an excellent idea. 

[snip]

I have seen other examples where it has been completely pointless. 

[snip]

It's a bit of a guessing game.

Over the last few months I've had a couple of non-stop CDF-SWA journeys ... One of them worked well. Other departures held back at CDF. Something looped along the way. Significant time recovered.

Skip-stopping can be a good idea, although passengers aren't too keen on seeing the big picture