The UK's Autonomous Vehicle Permit Process Explained

London's first robotaxi service runs on the Uber app with a safety driver still behind the wheel. Here is every step a company must clear before the UK lets it take the driver out. Tym Syrytczyk co-founded the Institute for Driverless Transport (IFDT), an independent UK research body, and writes Self-Driving Insights. His recent piece on getting permission to run a robotaxi service in London is the plain-English explainer. This episode walks through it in order. The law comes first. Two Acts separate supervised rides from driverless ones. The 2018 Act set out insurance and liability, and the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 builds the permanent framework, due to be complete by 2027. The Department for Transport formally grants the permit. The DVSA runs most of the process, the VCA assesses the vehicle and its software, and Transport for London holds local consent. Next is the route a company actually takes. Waymo, Wayve and Apollo Go test in London without any trial permit, guided only by a non-statutory code of practice. Wayve and Uber carry passengers today on three ordinary private hire licences, so legally the service is no different from a standard Uber ride. Taking the driver out needs an automated passenger services (APS) permit and a safety case. Then it gets political. TfL has six weeks to respond to a proposed service, and if it stays silent, that counts as consent. Applications opened in May, but TfL says it has received none for London, and it has not published any consent guidance. Daniel Abreu Marques asks Tym why nobody has applied yet, whether TfL could delay driverless services almost indefinitely, and how much time operators should really add to their plans. It ends with Tym's on-the-record prediction for London's first driverless permit: which operator, how many cars, and which part of the city. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - London's first robotaxi service still has a driver 1:13 - Why a newsletter wasn't enough: founding IFDT 5:11 - Why permits matter as much as the software 7:14 - Supervised vs. driverless under UK law 8:23 - Two laws: the 2018 and 2024 Acts 10:42 - Who does what: DfT, DVSA, VCA and TfL 13:27 - What fast-tracking the pilot scheme changed 15:39 - Testing in London without a trial permit 18:06 - What goes into a safety case, and who reads it 20:15 - The vehicle special order 22:52 - How Wayve and Uber carry passengers today 26:44 - Uber operates, Wayve drives: why the split matters 28:11 - The APS permit, and why DVSA issues it, not TfL 31:11 - Remote assistance and the legal meaning of self-driving 33:41 - Operational design domain vs. permit area 36:13 - From application to permit, and TfL's six-week clock 39:45 - Why TfL has received zero applications 41:37 - No consent guidance: the practical effect 43:56 - DfT vs. TfL: real tension or working as designed? 45:17 - Prediction: London's first driverless permit LINKS Tym's Substack: https://substack.com/@tympj The AV Market Strategist (my newsletter) - https://avmarketstrategist.substack.com #Robotaxi #AutonomousDriving #London #TransportPolicy #AutonomyInsiders