Broad backing for self-driving cars is vital

SMMT: Government consultation on autonomous vehicles will accelerate roll-out, says Mike Hawes

Britain’s self-driving vehicle revolution took another step forward this summer with the government announcement of its automated passenger services (APS) scheme, permitting pilot projects for commercial ride-hailing, shuttle and bus services on UK roads from Spring 2026. 

It is a welcome acceleration towards the introduction of self-driving vehicles. With the right secondary legislation following the Automated Vehicles Act 2024, this technology can deliver transformative benefits for society and the economy, with safe and responsible roll-out.

A thriving connected and automated mobility (CAM) sector in the UK has immense potential, as our most recent cross sector report found, with the ability to deliver up to £66 billion annually by 2040 and create 342,000 jobs. Better yet, with most road accidents caused by human error, self-driving technology has the potential to save 3,900 lives and prevent 60,000 serious accidents over the next 15 years.

While the latest APS scheme focuses on passenger services, the technology is also poised to benefit personal mobility, logistics, farming, mining and defence – offering less stressful journeys, substantial time savings, streamlined business operations, and greater travel freedom for people who cannot drive, due to disability, for example.

Speeding up roll-out can deliver these benefits sooner and given success depends on public confidence and cross-sector collaboration, we must ensure the technology has broad support and is widely understood – as safe, reliable, accessible and suitable for road users across the country. Government’s new APS consultation is an important step to ensure the secondary legislation needed to deliver the scheme considers the wide range of needs and roles.

The consultation will include local authorities, which must provide consent for APS to take place in their area. The priorities of traffic authorities, older and disabled passengers, emergency services and others are also crucial. Secondary legislation that addresses these matters will help industry guarantee this technology – already well advanced with passenger service trials currently operating across the UK – meets everyone’s needs.

Mike Hawes is chief executive of the SMMT